UC-NRLF 


SB    Efl    3.3b 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

University  of  California. 


at- 


GIFT  OF 


qfrtflo 


F* 


W5 


Thought  is  deeper  than  all  speech, 
Feeling  deeper  than  all  thought, 
Soul  to  souls  can  never  teach 
What  unto  itself  is  taught.'' 


FINANCIAL 
IDEAS 

Worth  $5000  to  You 

If  You  Can  Comprehend 
Them! 


Orlando  K-  Fitzsimmons 


OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 

ILIFO* 


S*\ 


Price  Ten  Cents 


Copyright  1904,  by  Orlando  K-  Fitzsimmons 


Comprehension  means  ability  to  know;  capacity  to  under- 
stand; power  to  receive,  contain  and  retain  ideas.  It  is 
the  gauge  of  individual  wisdom.      What  is  your  capacity? 


LET  US  REASON  TOGETHER 


TTUMAN  INTELLIGENCE  is  the  most  potent  power  in  the 
worlds  All  things  else  on  earth  owe  allegiance  to  it* 
Analytical  reason  is  the  supreme  attribute  of  the  human  mind 
and  to  it  man  owes  his  present  environment*  "Were  it  not  for 
this  faculty  there  would  he  no  telescope,  no  railroads,  no  boats, 
no  telegraph,  no  telephone,  no  machinery — there  would  be  no 
inventions,  no  progress,  whatever.  Long  ages  ago  man  realized 
that  every  Cause  produced  a  responding  Effect  and  that  every 
Effect  indicated  a  corresponding  Cause.  From  these  fundamental 
principles  is  builded  the  wonderful  science  of  mathematics  which 
teaches  us  how  to  take  a  Cause  and  mathematically  (exactly) 
deduce  the  Effect,  or  to  take  an  Effect  and  arrive  at  the  Cause. 

All  things  and  all  conditions  are  the  Effect  of  a  Cause  and 
are  therefore  natural,  ancf  whatever  is  natural  is  possible* 

"We  are  looking  for  men  and  women  who  have  developed  this 
logical  reasoning  faculty  somewhat  (the  greater  the  development, 
the  better);  who  can  reason  from  Cause  to  Effect  and  from 
Effect  to  Cause;  who  have  learned  that  Suspicion  and  Prejudice 
are  the  children  of  Ignorance;  who  can  distinguish  truths  from 
mere  assertions;  who  can  rely  on  their  own  judgment,  form  their 
own  conclusions  and  work  out  their  own  problems.  To  such  we 
offer  financial  independence! 

If  you  are  not  in  this  class,  it  will  be  useless  for  you  to  read 
further.  The  proper  course  for  you  to  pursue  is  to  place  yourself 
on  a  brain-food  diet,  go  back  to  the  primer  class  and  get  a 
new  start.  You  are  a  cipher — alone,  you  represent  nothing — 
and  are  useful  only  in  determining  the  value  of  the  other  figures. 

2 


(university 

V  OF 


o^h 


EXPLANATION 


During  the  past  two  and  one-half  years  we  have  distributed 
some  Two  Hundred  Thousand  Dollars  ($200,000)  in  benefits 
amongst  our  patrons  at  an  average  profit  to  living  members 
of  over  200  per  cent  per  annum.  (Here  is  an  Effect,  seek  the 
Cause.  The  following  pages  will  aid  you.)  In  view  of  the  fact 
that  this  has  been  accomplished  in  the  face  of  the  most  power- 
ful opposition  that  could  be  brought  to  bear  as  well  as  almost 
universal  popular  prejudice,  the  rational  reasoning  mind  should 
realize  that  there  must  be  something  uncommonly  substantial 
about  it,  for  no  ordinary  business  could  exist  under  such  con- 
ditions, let  alone  the  marvelous  profits  returned. 

The  opposition  was  vicious,  venemous  and  unprincipled. 
Slanderous  lies  were  the  chief  weapons  used ;  ordinary  business 
greed  and  jealousy  furnished  the  animus. 

Failures  are  not  attacked,  they  are  simply  devoured.  Our 
only  offense  to  the  ravenous  business  jackals  is  in  being  suc- 
cessful. 

The  cause  of  the  universal  prejudice  is  the  prevailing  ignor- 
ance of  what  we  are  doing  and  how  we  are  doing  it.  The  usual 
contention  of  the  mental  bankrupts  is  that  the  business  is 
"bad"  because  it  is  "too  good."  Some  are  apparently  so  hope- 
lessly inane  that  they  can  see  no  difference  between  an  intelli- 
gent reason  and  a  figure  of  speech.  They  are  simply  human 
phonographs  and  do  nothing  but  reproduce  the  speech  of  others. 
You  have  met  some  of  them,  have  you  not?  Some  of  them  go 
into  the  newspaper  business  so  that  they  can  talk  before  a 
whole  lot  of  people  at  once. 

No  intelligent  reason  has  ever  been  given  in  explanation  of 
why  it  is  "bad."  Many  fallacious  arguments  and  statements 
are  made  by  our  opponents,  however,  that  have  deceived  the 
thoughtless  and  indifferent  to  their  own  detriment.  Thousands 
who  have  been  asked  to  investigate  this  system  thoroughly 
have  either  been  to  indolent  or  fearful  to  do  it,  or  else  are  de- 
void of  the  faculty  of  reasoning  from  Cause  to  Effect  and  have 
thus  lost  the  benefits  they  otherwise  would  have  received.  They 
have  their  reward! 

3 


Perhaps  it  was  but  natural  that  "everybody"  who  learned 
in  a  vague  and  crude  manner  that  we  had  set  out  to  do  some- 
thing hastened  to  tell  their  neighbor  that  we  were  attempting 
to  do  something  " impossible ' ' ;  that  we  would  ''fail";  that  we 
were  searching  for  "suckers/'  etc.  It  is  those  who  are  them- 
selves contaminated  with  the  inherent  weakness  of  deceit  and 
dishonesty  who  declare  us  frauds,  tricksters  and  fakers,  and 
every  kindred  epithet,  which  are  words  that  picture  the  degen- 
erate fancies  of  their  own  minds,  because  we  have  proven  that 
we  are  neither  frauds  nor  tricksters  by  doing  even  greater 
things  and  bestowing  greater  benefits  on  others  than  we  an- 
nounced we  would  do  when  we  started.  Therefore,  if  they 
imagine  evil  where  none  exists,  is  it  not  of  and  within  them- 
selves ? 

We  have  fulfilled  every  promise ;  we  have  met  every  obliga- 
tion; we  do  not  owe  any  man  a  dollar  in  spite  of  the  ranting 
of  the  poor,  deluded  fools  who  are,  perhaps  unwittingly,  dis- 
honest with  themselves  and  their  friends  and  acquaintances 
when  they  basely  condemn  that  of  which  they  are  utterly  ig- 
norant. 

For  the  benefit  of  those  who  do  not  comprehend  and  who 
wish  to  obtain  an  idea  of  what  this  system  is,  we  make  the  fol- 
lowing brief  explanation.  Our  agents  can  furnish  you  other 
literature  if  you  desire  it. 

We  wish  at  this  point  to  call  your  attention  to  the  fact  that 
in  the  "ordinary  business' '  plan  there  is  5  per  cent  of  success 
to  95  per  cent  of  failure !  The  daily  record  of  failures  would 
appal  you.  Dun's,  Bradstreet 's,  Mulhall's  or  any  good  statis- 
tics will  tell  you  that  95  per  cent  of  the  people  who  start  in 
business— store,  factory  or  farm— fail  sooner  or  later.  Think 
of  it !  Then  realize  that  this  is  an  Effect  of  a  Cause,  and  that 
this  Cause  has  at  last  been  traced  out  and  we  can  make  it  so 
plain  that  any  school-boy  who  has  the  reasoning  faculty  can 
see  it  at  once.  We  will  explain  it  in  a  pamphlet  some  time. 
Without  knowing  the  Cause,  however,  logical  reason  will  in- 
stantly conclude  that  such  a  plan  must  be  very  imperfect.  If 
our  business  were  established  under  that  same  old  plan  it  would 
be  subject  to  the  same  weakness,  would  it  not?  It  must  be 
different  else  it  would  be  no  better.  Does  that  appeal  to  your 
intelligence  as  logical. 

In  the  construction  of  our  System  we  have  cast  out  the  er- 
rors existing  under  the  old  plan  and  retained  only  that  which 

4 


is  good.  When  man  began  using  electricity  he  was  obliged  to 
evolve  a  new  measuring  system,  because  the  then  existing  stan- 
dards of  measure,  the  pound,  the  yard,  the  bushel,  etc.,  were 
inadequate.  For  the  same  reason,  you  cannot  measure  our  sys- 
tem by  the  old  plan  standards,  such  as  "earning  capacity/' 
"earning  power  of  money,' '  "reserve  fund,"  "interest  earn- 
ings (rentals),"  "investments,"  etc.  You  must  learn  the  new 
measuring  system  if  you  would  "know  all  about  it." 

The  Cumulative  Credit  System  is  a  system  of  Mutual  Bene- 
fit to  each  and  all  of  its  patrons ;  it  is  pure  and  practical  co- 
operation, an  "each  for  all  and  all  for  each"  plan.  It  is  neither 
Life  Insurance,  Building  and  Loan,  Banking,  Investment  nor 
Mercantile  business.  There  is  nothing  else  like  it  in  the  world. 
The  plan  is  almost  directly  opposite  the  ordinary  business 
methods.  The  only  essential  feature  common  to  both  being 
Patrons  and  "new  business." 

(That  you  may  understand  this  last  statement  clearly,  its 
analyzation  is  here  given:  All  the  other  statements  in  our 
literature  that  are  not  clear  to  you  will  become  perfectly 
plain  if  you  analyze  them  properly. 

Every  business  in  the  world  requires  a  constant  influx  of 
"money"  to  furnish  that  which  must  be  paid  out.  What  else 
is  there  to  commercialism  but  taking  in  money  and  paying 
it  out?  That  which  flows  in  is  "new  business"  from  either  old 
patrons,  new  patrons,  or  both.  The  only  "money"  that  any 
business  or  individual  can  pay  out  must  come  from  others.  Did 
you  ever  get  a  dollar  in  your  life  that  did  not  come  from  some- 
one else  ?  Others  are  the  same  in  this  respect.  Therefore,  ' '  new 
business"  is  absolutely  requsite  for  the  prosperity  and  per- 
petuity of  any  and  all  business,  our  own  included.  See  also 
letter  to  Gen.  Agt.  Am.  Ex.  Co.,  page  27). 

The  shortest  and  quickest  way  to  explain  the  Cumulative 
Credit  System  is  by  comparing  it  with  an  established  business 
which  is  also  different  in  some  respects  from  the  ordinary  busi- 
ness. 

When  we  speak  of  "ordinary  business"  we  mean  that 
method  of  gaining  a  livelihood  by  first  exchanging  money  for 
something  with  one  person  and  then  finding  another  person  to 
give  us  more  for  the  thing  than  it  cost,  so  that  a  "profit"  can 
be  made.  All  business  is  based  on  giving  less  than  is  received 
so  as  to  "make"  a  "profit,"  and  the  "ordinary  business"  rule 
is  "get  all  you  can  and  give  as  little  as  possible." 

5 


About  a  year  ago  a  ragged  little  boy  gave  me  an  illustra- 
tion of  "profit"  such  as  I  had  been  seeking  for  a  number  of 
years.  He  was  selling  matches  and  came  into  my  office  with 
the  inquiry: 

"Do  you  want  to  buy  some  matches ?" 

"How  much  are  your  matches  a  package?" 

"Ten  cents  a  package." 

"I  can  go  to  a  store  and  buy  those  matches  for  five  cents 
a  package,"  I  said  to  him. 

"I  know  it,"  he  replied. 

'  •  Why  do  you  want  me  to  pay  you  ten  cents  a  package  when 
I  can  buy  them  for  five  cents?" 

"  So  I  can  make  something  off  them ! ! ' 

His  reply  was  truthful  and  was  uttered  with  the  candor  of 
one  unused  to  dissimulation.  When  he  gets  more  experience 
in  "business"  he  will  learn  to  conceal  the  fact  that  he  is  seek- 
ing financial  assistance  when  he  asks  others  to  "buy"  some- 
thing from  him.  '  He  will  soon  learn  to  call  it  "legitimate 
profit." 

"Profit"  is  merely  a  present  you  give  to  the  other  fellow 
when  you  "buy"  and  receive  from  the  other  fellow  when  you 
"sell."  The  word  "profit"  gives  a  certain  respectability  to 
the  taking  of  the  gift.  Some  "Captains  of  Industry"  simply 
levy  tribute  under  the  guise  of  "legitimate  profit." 

People  are  gradually  awakening  to  the  fact  that  it  is  not 
absolutely  necessary  to  first  exchange  the  money  for  things 
and  back  again  for  money  in  order  to  receive  this  present  called 
"profit"  from  others. 

Take  Fraternal  Life  Insurance,  for  instance.  That  is  a 
wonderful  business  system  and  its  patrons  number  millions 
and  there  have  been  hundreds  of  millions  of  dollars  distributed 
in  benefits  without  any  property  having  been  used  in  the  trans- 
action. 

Life  insurance  is  a  comparatively  new  institution  as  com- 
pared with  the  older  method  mentioned  above,  and,  in  the  pro- 
cess of  evolution  has  pointed  out  the  way  to  this  new  system. 

[It  was  but  a  short  step  from  the  sickle,  short  blade  and 
one  hand  power,  to  the  cradle,  long  blade  and  two  hand  power. 
The  results  accomplished  by  the  sickle  and  one  hand  were  more 
than  doubled  by  the  increased  power  of  the  cradle  and  two 
hands.  (You  can  see  Cause  and  Effect  plainly  here.)  Some 
man  discovered  this  truth  by  using  intelligent  reason  and  nat- 

6 


urally  concluded  that  a  still  longer  blade  and  more  power 
would  produce  correspondingly  greater  results,  and  the  out- 
come was  the  reaper  with  horses  as  the  motive  power.  The 
same  process  of  reasoning  produced  the  harvester,  and  so  on. 
Looking  back  on  it  all  you  are  obliged  to  acknowledge  the  sim- 
plicity of  it.  Still  it  was  a  long  time  coming.  You  cannot, 
however,  truthfully  say  that  the  sickle  was  a  '  ■  failure, '  •  neither 
was  the  cradle  nor  the  reaper,  although  millions  of  "dollars" 
were  "invested"  in  reapers  when  the  harvester  displaced  it. 
The  harvester,  with  its  greater  power,  paid  for  both,  however, 
so  nothing  was  "lost."    Man  can't  lose  by  progressing!] 

To  make  our  meaning  still  plainer  to  you  we  call  your  at- 
tention to  the  fact  that  the  real  and  true  basis  of  Fraternal 
Life  Insurance  is  giving  instead  of  taking,  and  if  every  member 
of  Fraternal  Insurance  Orders  realized  the  good  they  were 
doing  with  their  small  monthly  contributions  for  the  benefit 
of  others,  there  would  be  very  little  discord  or  criticism  of  that 
most  beneficent  system  except  with  people  in  whom  greed  and 
selfishness  are  the  dominating  traits  of  character. 

The  true  spirit  of  Fraternalism  is  the  spirit  of  benefiting 
others  in  their  time  of  need  while  being  thankful  that  our  own 
lives  are  spared  to  enable  us  to  make  the  small  contributions 
which  experience  has  demonstrated  is  requisite  for  the  per- 
petuity of  the  order. 

In  Fraternal  Insurance  the  members  band  together  and 
each  individual  member  contributes  a  small  amount  each  month 
to  help  create  a  large  fund  to  be  distributed  in  benefits  month- 
ly to  the  beneficiaries  of  those  members  who  die  from  month 
to  month.  The  members  who  thus  contribute  to  others  have 
just  as  much  to  eat,  are  just  as  comfortable  and  have  just  as 
many  of  the  so-called  pleasures  of  life  as  those  who  do  not  join 
them  in  the  work. 

If  this  last  statement  is  true,  then  wherein  does  or  can  any 
member  lose  by  making  the  paltry  contributions  called  for? 

The  jealousy,  the  greed,  the  selfishness  which  wantonly  as- 
sails or  even  criticises  such  a  beneficent  institution  should  be 
ostracized.  Such  people  do  not  deserve  the  benefits  they,  them- 
selves, are  deriving  from  other  people  in  the  ordinary  grabbing 
("business")  process.  These  people,  as  a  rule,  fail  to  appre- 
ciate the  fact  that  all  they  have  in  the  world,  except  what  they 
actually  manufactured  themselves,  came  from  other  people,  to 
whose  intelligence  and  labor  they  owe  everything  they  have. 

7 


What  has  all  this  to  do  with  the  Cumulative  Credit  System? 

Simply  this,  the  Cumulative  Credit  System  is  a  vast  im- 
provement over  the  Fraternal  Life  Insurance  system  in  every 
respect,  in  every  detail. 

That  you  may  be  better  able  to  comprehend  the  truth  of 
this  statement  I  here  present  the  essential  features  of  the  two 
plans  in  parallel.  Note  them  carefully,  weigh  them  pro  and 
con,  reason  from  cause  to  effect  and  if  you  conclude  that  my 
statement  above  in  reference  to  the  superiority  of  the  Cumu- 
lative Credit  System  over  the  Fraternal  Life  Insurance  Sys- 
tem is  erroneous,  and  you  can  give  an  intelligent  reason  there- 
for, I  will  make  you  a  present  of  $100. 

In  Fraternal  Insurance  the  members  band  together  and  each 
contributes  a  small  sum  monthly  for  the  purpose  of  creating  a 
fund  with  which  to  pay  the  beneficiaries  of  the  members  who 
die  from  month  to  month.  Now  mark  carefully:  It  is  the 
death  of  the  members  that  designates  which  policies  (or  con- 
tracts) are  to  be  paid  from  month  to  month  with  the  money  thus 
contributed.  When  a  member  dies  his  policy  lives  on  until  it 
is  paid  or  cancelled,  because  that  is  the  only  way  to  kill  a  con- 
tract calling  for  money.  Therefore  the  members  of  a  Fraternal 
Insurance  Order  contribute  monthly  for  the  purpose  of  creating 
a  fund  with  which  to  kill  the  contracts  that  death  designates 
or  points  out  from  month  to  month.  Is  this  plain  ?  Now  mark 
again:  It  is  possible  under  that  system  for  an  old  contract  (or 
policy)  and  a  young  contract  to  be  killed  or  cancelled  the  same 
month,  should  a  member  who  has  been  contributing  a  number 
of  years  and  a  member  who  has  contributed  but  a  short  time 
die  during  the  same  month.  In  that  case  one  member  con- 
tributes many  times  more  than  another  for  the  same  benefit  to 
beneficiaries,  and  therein  is  found  an  element  of  inequity  which 
cannot  be  avoided,  because  of  the  uncertainty  of  life.  The 
same  is  true  of  old  line  insurance,  and  is  not  here  used  as  any- 
thing detrimental  to  either  system,  but  better  to  show  the  equity 
of  the  new  plan. 

Under  our  new  system  the  members  band  together  for  Mu- 
tual Benefit  and  contribute  weekly  instead  of  monthly,  for  the 
purpose  of  creating  a  Mutual  Benefit  Credit  Fund  to  be  used 
in  killing  the  oldest  outstanding  Certificate  always,  and  not 
some  old  ones  and  some  young  ones.  The  period  of  payment 
is  not  limited  to  any  given  period  of  time,  any  more  than  it  is 

8 


in  Fraternal  Insurance,  but  is  regulated  by  the  death  of 
the  Certificate,  just  as  the  payments  in  Fraternal  Insurance  are 
regulated  by  the  death  of  the  members. 

The  amount  contributed  under  this  new  system  by  indi- 
vidual members  is  never  less  than  at  the  rate  of  $500  per  $1,000 
in  80  weeks  or  less,  according  to  the  time  of  maturity.  One 
Certificate  entitles  a  patron  to  the  privilege  of  paying  $1.00 
per  week  and  if  it  is  reached  in  the  order  of  maturity  in  50 
weeks  he  has  then  contributed  $50  and  receives  $100 ;  if  it  takes 
62  weeks  to  mature,  his  contribution  is  $62  and  he  receives 
$124;  if  it  takes  70  weeks  his  contribution  is  $70  and  he  re- 
ceives $140,  and  so  on  up  to  and  including  80  weeks,  when  his 
contributions  amount  to  $80  and  his  return  is  $160,  which  is 
the  extreme  amount  returned  on  one  Certificate.  (A  patron  can 
make  application  for  as  many  Certificates  as  he  desires.  We 
have  several  patrons  in  Los  Angeles  carrying  from  50  to  140 
each!)  If  the  Certificate  should  not  mature  in  80  weeks,  he 
continues  his  contributions  until  such  time  as  it  does  mature, 
and  this  does  away  with  what  is  known  as  ' '  paid  up ' '  contracts 
in  the  "Diamond  Contract"  or  "Merchandise  Contract"  busi- 
ness, and  which  is  the  rock  on  which  they  are  finally  wrecked. 
This  feature  of  the  Cumulative  Credit  Company  is  a  safeguard 
against  possible  commercial  "panics,"  and  is  an  absolute 
guarantee  of  perpetuity,  because  each  patron  thus  joins  hands 
with  his  brother  patrons  for  their  mutual  protection  and  the 
result  assures  benefits  to  all.  In  the  event  of  the  payments  ever 
exceeding  the  80-week  period,  nothing  whatever  is  deducted 
by  the  management  for  the  Expense  Fund  on  the  payments 
made  in  excess  of  the  80th  week,  but  all  such  contributions  are 
placed  in  the  Mutual  Benefit  Credit  Fund,  dollar  for  dollar,  as 
received. 

In  the  following  table  of  parallels,  we  present  the  essen- 
tial features  of  the  two  plans  and  a  close  scrutiny  and  analyza- 
tion  will  repay  you.  A  mere  glance  at  any  part  of  this  litera- 
ture will  not  repay  you.  In  this  are  embodied  years  of  study 
and  investigation  by  a  naturally  analytical  mind  and  the  ideas 
are  presented  in  simple  language  and  pertinent  illustrations. 
It  would  take  a  large  volume  to  comprise  all  the  details  of  this 
intricate  subject.  This  is  but  the  primer,  intended  to  prepare 
you  for  that  which  is  to  follow.  We  propose  to  make  this 
not  only  the  greatest  Mutual  Benefit  Organization  in  the 
world,  but  also  the  leading  educational  institution  along  new 
and  advanced  ideas.  You  have  the  privilege  of  joining  if  you 
wish. 

9 


Study  the  Parallel 


FRATERNAL  INSURANCE  CUMULATIVE  CREDIT  SYSTEM 

Contributions   axe   made  monthly.         Contributions  are  made  weekly. 

Matured  policies  are  paid  monthly.      Matured      Certificates     are     paid 

weekly. 

Death    matures   the   policies,    (and      The  arrival  of  the  money  matures 
the  money  must  be  there  to  pay  the    Certificates, 

them). 

The  member  dies  and  the  policy  is 
paid. 

One  member  of  the  family  must 
die  in  order  to  bestow  the  bene- 
fits on  his  loved  ones. 


It  is  not  possible  under  this  plan 
to  establish  a  perpetual  income 
to  be  enjoyed  by  the  member 
while  living  and  bequeathed  to 
his  family  after  his  death. 


All  money  contributed  by  the 
members  in  excess  of  the  amount 
actually  needed  each  month  to 
pay  the  policies  designated  by 
the  death  of  the  members,  is 
withheld  by  the  management 
from  circulation  amongst  the 
members  until  such  time  as  there 
are  a  sufficient  number  of  deaths 
to  cause  the  money  to  be  dis- 
tributed amongst  the  benefi- 
ciaries. 


Life  is  uncertain  and,  while  the 
death  of  the  members  from 
month  to  month  is  regulated  by 
the  law  of  average,  it  is  pos- 
sible that  such  an  epidemic  of 
deaths  might  occur  amongst  the 
members  that  the  contributions 
provided     for    under    the    plan 


The  Certificate  dies  and  the  mem- 
ber is  paid. 

The  members  receive  their  benefits 
while  living,  thus  enabling  the 
entire  family  to  enjoy  them 
while  they  are  all  united. 

It  is  possible  under  this  system 
for  members  to  establish  a  per-# 
manent  monthly,  quarterly  or 
yearly  income  to  be  enjoyed  dur- 
ing their  lives  and  bequeathed 
to  their  families  after  their 
death. 

No  money  belonging  to  the  Mutual 
Benefit  Credit  Fund  is  withheld 
by  the  management,  but  it  is 
distributed  amongst  the  members 
in  benefits  weekly.  We  are 
founded  on  the  principle  that 
the  best  place  for  our  patrons' 
money  is  in  their  own  pockets 
and  the  Public  Accountant's  re- 
port, Jan.  2nd,  1904,  showed  but 
$16.70  on  hand  in  the  Mutual 
Benefit  Credit  Fund,  the  bal- 
ance having  been  distributed  to 
patrons  in  accordance  with  the 
provisions  in  our  certificates. 
Some  ignorant  or  envious  people 
proclaimed  that  a  fault! 

It  is  the  arrival  of  the  money  con- 
tributed by  the  members  that 
sets  the  time  of  maturity  and  it 
is,  therefore,  an  utter  impossi- 
bility under  this  system  to  have 
such  an  epidemic  of  money  com- 
ing from  the  members  that  it 
could   not    always    be    paid    out, 


10 


Fraternal  Insurance  (Con.) 
would  be  insufficient  to  pay  the 
claims,  thereby  causing  what  is 
known  in  the  business  world  as 
a  "failure." 

The  prosperity  and  the  perpetuity 
of  this  plan  depends  entirely 
upon  the  acquisition  of  new 
business  from  new  people  con- 
tinually . 

Under,  this  system  there  is  an  age 
limit,  <an  occupation  restriction 
and  a  medical  examination. 


Under  this  plan  it  is  absolutely 
necessary  to  have  the  money  with 
which  to  pay  the  matured  poli- 
cies, and  it  is  possible  for  the 
time  to  arrive  when  policies  will 
be  matured  without  sufficient 
funds  with  which  to  pay  them. 

Under  this  system  a  policy  calls 
for  a  fixed  amount  without  ref- 
erence to  the  time  of  maturity. 


Owing  to  the  uncertainty  of  life, 
the  inequity  existing  under  this 
plan  is  very  great,  as  shown  by 
the  amounts  paid  in  by  the  de- 
ceased and  the  amounts  received 
by  the  beneficiaries. 


Money  paid  out  in  benefits  is  not 
returned  to  be  again  used  to 
Benefit  those  who  contributed  it, 
because  the  member  is  dead. 


Cumulative  Credit  System  (Con.) 
hence,  there  is  no  possibility  un- 
der our  system  of  what  is  known 
in  the  business  world  as  a  "fail- 
ure." 

The  present  membership  of  the 
Cumulative  Credit  Company  and 
their  posterity  could  perpetuate 
the  system  indefinitely  without 
the  acquisition  of  new  members. 

Under  this  system  no  individual  is 
barred  because  of  age,  occupa- 
tion or  ill  health,  there  being 
neither  age  limit,  occupation  re- 
striction nor  medical  examina- 
tion. 

Under  this  system  it  is  absolutely 
necessary  for  the  money  to  be 
delivered  before  the  Certificates 
are  matured,  and  it  is  therefore 
impossible  for  the  time  to  arrive 
when  there  will  not  be  sufficient 
funds  with  which  to  pay  them. 

Under  this  system  the  time  of 
maturity  governs  the  amount  re- 
turned. The  amount  is  fixed 
equitably  in  accordance  with  the 
time  of  maturity. 

Under  this  system  the  maturities 
are  so  adjusted  that  the  inequity 
is  very  slight,  and  we  are  now 
contemplating  <a  change  in  the 
Certificate  so  that,  under  ordi- 
nary conditions,  the  benefits  and 
payments  will  be  in  absolute 
equity.  Our  present  Certificate 
stands  today  the  most  equit- 
able in  the  business  world. 

Not  only  is  the  money  distributed 
in  benefits  returned,  as  a  rule, 
but  our  records  show  a  large 
growth   from  those   Who   receive 


the    Benefits,    because    we 


pay 
like 


living  members  and  they 
the  Benefits  and  want  more— 
unless  they  belong  to  the  ' '  men- 
tally incompetent' '  society. 


11 


Fraternal  Insurance  (Con.) 

The  vacancies  in  the  membership 
caused  by  death  (which  is  the 
only  thing  that  matures  the 
policies)  must  be  filled  with  new 
people  who  must  meet  the  age 
and  health  requirements. 


Th'e  Benefits  returned  under  this 
plan  show  great  inequity  rang- 
ing from  "$2.50  for  $1.00" 
(seldom,  if  ever,  is  it  leas  than 
$2.50  for  $1.00!)  to  over  "$1600 
for  $1.00!"  The  average  is  over 
$15.00  for  $1.00!  (This  statement 
•is  amazing,  but  it  is  absolutely 
true.  Verifying  instances  will 
be  given  to  those  who  wish 
them). 


The  quicker  the  policy  is  matured 
the  greater  the  ratio  returned  to 
the  amount  contributed.  (Ex- 
ample.—Peter  Von  Deesten,  Tent 
No.  34  K.  O.  T.  M.,  Brooklyn, 
N.  Y.,  joined  at  the  age  of  44, 
contributed  $1.00  to  the  Benefit 
Fund  and  died  during  the  month 
of  February,  1904,  aged  44,  and 
ihis  widow  received  $1000.00. 
($1000  for  $1.00). 

James  V.  McLaughlin,  member  of 
Lisbon  Tent,  K.  O.  T.  M.,  Lis- 
bon, Ohio,  joined  at  the  age  of 
30,  contributed  $200.40  to  the 
Benefit  Fund  and  died  during 
the  month  of  February,  1904, 
aged  44,  and  his  widow  received 
$2000.00.  ($10  for  $1.00). 

Hundreds  of  similar  cases  can  be 
given. 


Cumulative  Credit  System  (Con.) 
Since  money  does  the  maturing  un- 
der our  plan  there  is  no  neces- 
sity for  a  vacancy  occuring  be- 
cause the  living  member  receives 
the  direct  benefit  and  is  then 
better  able  to  contribute  than 
When  he  first  started. 

Our  system  is  so  adjusted  at  pres- 
ent that  not  more  than  $2.00  for 
$1.00  is  returned  to  our  mem- 
bers on  the  maturity  of  their 
Certificates.  (That  is  exactly 
what  we  have  done  so  far.  $3.00 
for  $1.00  or  $4.00  for  $1.00  could 
be  returned  easily  in  a  short 
time  if  people  would  cast  pre- 
judice to  one  side  and  use  a  little 
reason.  Prejudice  is  a  child  of 
Ignorance— a  "spoiled"  child 
at  that.) 

The  quicker  our  Certificates  are 
matured  the  less  the  amount  re- 
turned under  ordinary  condi- 
tion's. We  have  always  returned 
and  are  now  returning  $2.00 
for  $1.00.  In  June,  1903,  our 
time  of  maturing  was  70 
weeks.  At  present  (May,  1904) 
we  are  maturing  in  67  weeks! 
$2.00  for  $1.00  Benefits  to  pat- 
rons during  all  that  time  and 
we  pay  them  every  week.  Why 
in  the  world  don't  you  get  in? 
Afraid?  Bah!  You  can  scarce- 
ly find  an  old  woman,  any  more, 
who  is  too  timid  to  ride  on  the 
cars!  They  used  to  be  quite 
plentiful.  What  are  you  afraid 
of?  Your  own  weakness,  not 
ours— We  are  the  strongest  in- 
stitution in  the  world.  You 
guess  not?  Guess  again,  you're 
wrong. 


12 


Our  Plan  in  Brief 

A  preacher  came  into  the  Home  Office  one  day  and  wished 
to  see  Mr.  Fitzsimmons  in  reference  to  the  business.  A  brother 
minister,  who  had  spent  some  months  in  investigating  the  plan, 
had  told  him  that  it  was  most  worthy  and  wanted  him  To ' 
come  in.  He  rejected  a  prof  erred  chair,  stating  that  he  was 
in  a  great  hurry. 

He  said  to  Mr.  Fitzsimmons,  * '  Can  you  explain  this  business 
to  me  briefly  ?" 

' 'Yes,  sir,"  Mr.  F.  replied,  "I  can  explain  it  with  one  word 
if  you  can  comprehend  it  with  one  word.  That  is  a  matter  that 
rests  entirely  with  you." 

His  smile  had  a  sort  of  startled   appearance   as   the    idea 
struck  in,  and  he  asked  for  the  word. 
"Giving!"  said  Mr.  F. 

The  startled  smile  changed  into  a  look  of  astonished  per- 
plexity and  he  murmured : 

"I  am  afraid  I  can't  understand  it  from  that." 
"That  one  word  pictures  the  whole  plan  clearly  and  beau- 
tifully to  those  who  know,"  said  Mr.  F.    "I'm  sorry  you  can't 
see  it.    Come  in  when  you  have  more  time." 

That  was  about  eight  months  ago  and  he  has  not  yet  re- 
turned. 

Giving  is  the  opposite  of  "collecting,"— and,  perhaps,  he 
thought  of  the  old  proverb— The  shoemaker  should  stick  to 
his  last! 

That  the  word  "giving"  expresses  clearly  the  principle  on 
which  our  system  is  based  is  a  fact.  You  should  remember 
that  there  can  be  nothing  given  unless  that  which  is  given  is 
received  by  some  one  else.  You  can  give  yourself  nothing.  If 
you  give,  you  must  give  to  others.  If  you  receive,  you  must 
have  others  give  to  you. 

Our  plan  is  one  of  systematic  giving  and  receiving. 
We  issue  Certificates,  similar  to  insurance  policies,  to  those 
who  make  application  for  them.  There  is  no  application  fee. 
The  Certificates  are  numbered  consecutively  as  issued.  Each 
Certificate  calls  for  a  contribution  of  $1.00  per  week  or  $5.00 
every  five  weeks  to  the  general  fund,  the  major  portion  of 
which  is  for  the  Mutual  Benefit  Credit  Fund  to  be  used  in  call- 
ing in  or  in  maturing  the  oldest  outstanding  live  Certificates 
each  week,  according  to  the  terms  of  the  Certificate,  which,  so 

13 


far,  has  returned  a  net  average  profit  of  over  200  per  cent  per 
annum  to  the  patrons  on  the  amount  contributed  by  them,  and 
the  balance  belongs  to  the  Expense  Fund  to  be  used  as  the  man- 
agement may  direct.  Out  of  the  Expense  Fund  are  paid  all 
the  expenses  of  operating  the  various  offices,  the  remuneration 
of  agents,  the  printing,  etc.  The  Mutual  Benefit  Credit  Fund 
can  be  used  for  the  purpose  of  maturing  Certificates  only. 

When  a  Certificate  is  issued  it  receives  a  number  which  al- 
ways designates  its  relative  position  to  the  others  in  force,  and 
this  number  is  the  one  immediately  following  the  last  Certi- 
ficate issued. 

Example.— On  April  30th,  1903,  the  number  of  the  last  Cer- 
tificate issued  was  3318  and  the  last  Certificate  matured  was 
213.  At  the  close  of  that  day's  work  number  3318  was  at  the 
end  of  the  numbering  line.  The  next  day  as  applications  were 
received  new  Certificates  were  issued  in  the  usual  manner,  and 
so  on  as  day  followed  day  and  week  succeeded  week,  until  now, 
(May,  1904),  the  last  number  written  is  nearly  9300  and  the 
last  number  paid  is  about  2000.  Thus,  you  see,  number  3318, 
which  was  considered  a  "high  number"  when  it  started,  is  a 
very  "low"  number  now. 

Joining  a  line  buying  theatre  tickets  during  a  rush  would 
give  you  an  idea  of  our  system,  providing  those  who  secured 
their  tickets  and  dropped  off  the  front  end  of  the  line  would 
get  in  line  again  at  the  rear  for  more.  Under  our  plan,  the  more 
they  get  the  more  they  want.    Catch  the  idea? 


This  space  is  reserved  for  our  local  representatives  to 
stamp  their  names  and  address  in.  If  you  desire  more  in- 
formation, or  if  you  wish  to  join  in  the  good  work,  call  on 
or  address  this  representative.  These  booklets  are  furnished 
free  to  agents  and  patrons.  If  you  pay  them  10  cents  for  it, 
then  their  "profit"  would  be  10  cents.    See  page  6. 


The  Important  Question 

How  long  a  time  will  be  required  to  mature  Certificates 
taken  now  is  an  all  important  question  because  people  are  not 
yet  educated  in  the  business  so  but  that  their  one  idea  is 
centered  on  how  much  they  are  going  to  get  out  of  it  and 
how  quickly  they  can  get  it.  In  considering  the  business  they 
seldom  observe  it  as  a  whole,  but  center  their  thought  in  self. 
They  do  not  realize  that  the  real  strength  of  the  business 
depends  on  what  they  all  do  and  that  the  individual  is  but  a 
very  small  part  of  all.  If  they  would  all  join  together  and  cen- 
ter their  thoughts  upon  the  accomplishment  of  a  certain  end 
and  let  that  end  be  the  contribution  of  money  weekly  for  the 
purpose  of  the  rapid  cancellation  of  Certificates,  no  matter  who 
they  belong  to,  they  would  soon  learn  that  their  own  reward 
would  come  quicker. 

People  who  consider  themselves  intelligent  are  ludicrously 
foolish  when  they  encounter  the  question  of  money  or  material 
gain.  It  is  but  the  result  of  centuries  of  false  education  in 
that  respect.  For  instance,  what  could  be  more  ridiculously 
comical  than  the  following  absolutely  true  statement:  A 
person  well  able  to  carry  25  Certificates,  after  weeks  of  hesi- 
tancy because  the  business  is  "too  good  to  be  true,"  finally 
musters  up  the  courage  to  take  one  or  two  Certificates,  and 
after  he  has  paid  15  or  20  weeks  desires  the  management  to 
figure  out  exactly  when  his  Certificate  will  mature,  and  kicks 
because  the  estimated  time  is  three  or  four  weeks  longer  than 
was  required  to  pay  someone  else !  The  ridiculous  side  of  peo- 
ple is  shown  by  the  fact  that  they  will  not  join  in  this  plan 
at  first  because  it  is  "too  good"  and  after  they  get  in  it 
isn't  good  enough!  I  am  pleased  to  say,  however,  that  we 
have  many  patrons  of  sufficient  enlightenment  so  that  they 
have  advanced  at  least  one  grade;  they  are  no  longer  in  the 
primary  grade.  They  have  learned  somewhat  of  the  real 
value  of  the  business,  and  where  its  real  strength  lies.  Being 
desirous  of  perpetuating  it,  they  work  to  the  common  interest 
of  all. 

Now  I  am  going  to  give  a  conservative  estimate  of  the 
probable  time  it  will  take  for  the  maturity  of  Certificates 
issued  now. 

15 


Seventy  weeks  should  be  about  the  extreme  limit  of  time 
required  with  the  probability  of  maturing  in  about  60  weeks 
and  the  possibility  of  maturing  in  50  weeks. 

What  do  I  base  my  calculations  on? 

My  knowledge  of  the  business  in  detail  and  of  the  new 
territory  we  expect  to  open  up  before  the  first  of  June,  1905. 
(See  "How  to  Figure  Time  of  Maturity,"  page  19). 

Reader,  I  would  not  willingly  mislead  you  nor  anyone 
else  in  regard  to  this  business,  and,  even  were  I  so  inclined, 
you  must  admit  that  it  would  be  foolish  for  me  to  do  it 
because  it  would  take  but  a  short  time  for  you  to  find  me  out. 
I  wish  to  call  your  attention  to  but  one  little  point  and  that 
is,  should  it  take  100  weeks  to  mature  the  Certificates  the 
benefits  returned  to  you,  even  under  those  conditions,  would 
be  marvelous.    Why  should  you  hesitate  ?    Why  do  you  delay  f 

ORLANDO  K.  FITZSIMMONS. 

Why  the  Time  of  Maturity  Fluctuates 

On  February  28th,  1903,  we  were  maturing  in  64  weeks; 
on  June  20th,  1903,  the  time  of  maturity  had  extended  to  70 
weeks;  on  September  12th,  1903,  the  time  of  maturity  was  43 
weeks;  on  February  27th,  1904,  the  time  had  again  extended 
to  62  weeks.    This  is  a  year's  record. 

What  caused  this  fluctuation  in  the  time  of  maturity? 

Answer.— The  fluctuation  of  the  volume  of  new  business 
written  each  week  beginning  during  the  period  extending  from 
November  12th,  1901,  to  December  27th,  1902.  (Notice  these 
dates  particularly.) 

To  understand  this  you  must  view  the  business  as  a  whole. 
Remember  that  the  Certificates  are  numbered  consecutively 
as  issued,  and  we  always  mature  the  oldest  as  they  are  reached. 
You  must  be  able  to  realize  that  there  are  two  ends  and  a 
middle  to  its  body  corporate,  and  that  we  are  constantly  add- 
ing to  one  end  and  tearing  off  the  other.  Every  week  we  are 
issuing  new  Certificates  and  paying  old  ones.  Thus  there  is 
a  constant  and  steady  movement  toward  the  front,  of  each  and 
every  live  Certificate,  each  week.  For  example:  On  Feb- 
ruary 28th,  1903,  our  last  number  written  was  2182,  and  our 
last  number  paid  was  132,  while  at  the  present  time  our  last 
number  written  is  9216  and  the  last  number  paid  is  1990.  Sub- 
tract 1990  from  2182  and  you  will  perceive  the  wonderful 

16 


change  that  has  taken  place  during  the  few  months  since  Mary 
A.  Caley  of  San  Francisco  made  application  for  and  received 
Certificate  numbered  2182  and  became  the  'Mast  man" — until 
the  next  morning.  Week  succeeded  week,  and  the  tearing  down 
and  building  up  process  went  on.  Those  who  had  started  ahead 
of  her  dropped  off  one  by  one,  by  maturity  and  lapsation,  and 
newcomers  were  added  to  the  membership  ranks  daily.  New 
offices  were  opened  and  the  work  went  gaily  onward.  The  ma- 
jority of  those  she  helped  to  benefit,  appreciated  the  favors  re- 
ceived and,  upon  receipt  of  their  benefits,  took  new  Certificates 
which  were  issued  after  hers,  necessarily,  until  now  she  is  near 
the  coveted  maturity  goal  with  over  5,000  live  Certificates  call- 
ing in  the  contributions  from  which  she  will,  in  her  order,  re- 
ceive her  benefits. 

Is  there  anything  mysterious  or  supernatural  in  that?  Is 
this  accomplished  result  an  " impossible "  one?  Is  there  any- 
thing "fraudulent"  in  the  process?  Is  it  even  an  unsound  or 
dangerous  system?  Yet,  ninety-nine  "business  men"  (mer- 
chants, lawyers,  bankers,  etc.,)  out  of  a  hundred,  had  the  mat- 
ter been  referred  to  them  at  the  time  she  started,  would  have 
told  her  that  she  was  "foolish";  that  the  whole  thing  was  a 
"fraud,"  a  "fake,"  a  "gold  brick."  Why?  Because  in  their 
own  "business"  they  are  obliged  to  use  more  or  less  decep- 
tion in  order  to  be  successful.  Don't  you  believe  that?  Just 
enter  into  business  under  the  present  competitive  system  and 
you  will  quickly  perceive  the  truth  of  it,  if  you  are  honest  with 
yourself.  They  were  judging  us  by  themselves— their  only 
standard  of  measurement— because  they  cannot  "understand" 
a  business  wherein  all  the  truth  can  be  told. 

(We  tell  what  our  "profit"  is— do  they? 

We  distribute  the  actual  "profits"  of  the  business  amongst 
our  patrons— do  they? 

We  do  not  use  the  money  belonging  to  our  patrons  for  our 
own  private  gain,  but  pay  it  to  them  as  soon  as  it  is  received- 
do  all  other  businesses  do  the  same? 

A  clear  understanding  of  our  critics'  plans  of  "making 
money"  and  our  plan  will  make  apparent  to  you  many  other 
comparisons  that  are  worth  considering,  and  which  will  reflect 
no  discredit  on  us.  If  you  will  devote  as  many  years  of  study  to 
the  science  of  Money  and  Commercialism  as  the  writer  you  will 
find  that  the  average  "business"  or  "professional"  man  lives 

tag  3  17 


in  a  glass  house,  commercially,  and  he  can    gain   nothing   by 
throwing  stones  at  our  granite  structure.)   (See  page  2). 

The  1990  Certificates  that  have  been  cancelled  by  maturity 
and  lapsation  were  not  all  written  at  the  same  time,  but  their 
writing  covered  a  period  of  65  weeks,  beginning  November 
12th,  1901.  During  the  first  13  weeks  of  this  65-week  period 
303  were  written ;  during  the  next  31  weeks  but  251  were  writ- 
ten ;  during  the  next  9  weeks,  230  were  written ;  during  the  next 
2  weeks,  413  were  written,  and  during  the  next  10  weeks,  778 
were  written.  Now,  realize  that  in  this  business  the  last  be- 
comes first,  that  is,  that  the  business  written  in  any  given 
period  of  time  will  sooner  or  later  be  reached  in  maturity,  and 
in  order  to  have  the  time  of  maturity  remain  absolutely  sta- 
tionary we  would  be  obliged  to  mature  Certificates  within  the 
same  period  of  time  in  which  they  were  written.  For  instance, 
by  referring  to  the  above  figures,  in  order  to  keep  the  time  of 
maturity  stationary  we  would  have  been  obliged  to  mature 
the  first  303  written  during  a  13-week  period  in  13  weeks,  (an 
average  of  23  per  week),  while  the  251  that  followed  after 
them  could  have  had  a  31-week  period  for  their  maturity,  (an 
average  of  only  8  per  week)  without  any  extension  of  time, 
providing  but  one  week's  business  was  taken  up  at  maturity 
during  a  one  week  maturity  period. 

Glance  again  at  the  above  figures  and  you  will  see  that  the 
230  written  during  the  9-week  period  should  have  been  paid 
in  a  corresponding  period  of  time  and  also  that  the  413  written 
in  a  2-week  period  would  have  had  to  have  been  cancelled  at 
the  rate  of  over  200  per  week  to  have  kept  the  time  from  ex- 
tending when  they  were  reached  for  maturity,  and  the  778 
written  during  the  last  10  weeks  of  the  term  would  have  re- 
quired a  maturity  of  about  78  per  week  to  prevent  fluctuation 
in  the  time,  while  the  fact  of  the  matter  is  that  our  paying 
power  was  sufficient  to  pay  them  only  about  one-half  that  fast. 
The  average  time  of  maturity  of  these  1990  Certificates  was 
about  54  weeks.     Is  not  that  really  wonderful? 

The  time  of  maturity  will  always  fluctuate  because,  while 
the  tearing  down  process  is  steady  and  persistent,  the  other 
end  of  the  body  corporate  is  erratic,  that  is,  the  growth  from 
week  to  week  shows  a  great  fluctuation,  and  the  cause  of  this 
fluctuation  is  principally  due  to  newspaper  attacks. 

Some  people  have  no  confidence  in  their  own  opinions,  and, 
like  a  drowning  man,  grasp  frantically  at  anything  in  sight 

18 


of 

in  the  shape  of  an  opinion  from  somebody  else,  and  they  are 
so  used  to  accepting  the  opinions  of  newspaper  reporters  as 
their  " articles  of  faith"  that  they  seldom,  if  ever,  question 
what  they  ' '  read  in  the  paper, ' '  but  accept  the  stuff  as  reliable 
information.  Great  care  should  be  exercised  in  separating  the 
few  grains  of  truth  from  the  bushel  of  false  and  ignorant  state- 
ments in  the  daily  newspaper.  Reporters  are  hired  to  make 
"good  stories"  out  of  whatever  material  comes  to  hand.  It's 
a  big  job  to  fill  a  large  daily  paper  with  truth  every  day.  Think 
of  the  amount  of  "new  business"  required  in  that  line  to  keep 
it  up! 

During  March,  April  and  May,  1903,  we  wrote  a  little  over 
1700,  and  during  June,  July  and  August  following  we  wrote 
but  850  and  of  these  latter  about  250  immediately  lapsed.  Why  ? 
Because  they  had  rather  take  the  word  of  some  newspaper  re- 
porter, who  knows  absolutely  nothing  about  the  business,  than 
to  rely  upon  their  own  clearer  judgment.  A  lull  in  the  writ- 
ing of  new  business  for  any  considerable  length  of  time  always 
has  a  tendency  to  shorten  the  time  of  maturity  when  the  proper 
time  comes.  The  system  is  automatically  self-adjusting,  so 
there  is  no  cause  for  anxiety  on  account  of  these  lulls.  They 
are  beneficial  rather  than  detrimental  to  the  business.  (See 
page  2). 

How  to  Figure  Maturity  Time 

Many  persons  who  would  be  unable  to  solve  a  simple  prob- 
lem in  cube  root  or  even  simple  fractions  without  hunting  up 
the  old  arithmetic  to  find  the  "rule,"  attempt  to  "figure  out" 
the  approximate  time  it  will  take  to  mature  our  Certificates 
issued  at  any  given  time.  Their  usual  course  is  to  subtract 
the  number  of  the  last  Certificate  paid  from  the  number  of 
the  last  one  issued  and  divide  the  remainder  by  the  present 
average  weekly  maturities  to  determine  the  number  of  weeks 
it  will  take  to  mature  the  next  one  written,  thus:— 

No.  of  last  Certificate  written •  • .  .9200 

No.  of  last  Certificate  paid   2000 

Total   Certificates   outstanding 7200 

Average  weekly  maturities   36 

It  will  therefore  take  as  many  weeks  to  pay  7200  as  36  is 
contained  in  7200  or  200  weeks !  That  looks  reasonable,  doesn't 
it?    Maybe  it  sounds  reasonable  to  you,  too,  but  it  is  wrong. 

19 


It  isn't  the  answer  printed  in  the  book  of  actual  experience, 
which,  of  necessity,  is  the  correct  answer.  For  instance,  the 
number  of  the  last  Certificate  issued  on  January  31st,  1903, 
was  1786,  the  last  one  paid  was  106  and  the  average  weekly 
maturities  at  that  time  was  6.  Now  subtract  and  divide  as 
above  and  you  will  find  that  the  result  shows  that  it  should 
have  taken  280  weeks  to  mature  Certificate  number  1786 !  Over 
five  years!  That  is  your  "answer"  obtained  under  the  above 
rule. 

Now,  what  is  the  correct  answer?  The  true  answer  is  64 
weeks !  (A  difference  of  216  weeks— four  years !  You  should 
be  able  to  guess  closer  than  that.) 

How  do  we  know  64  weeks  is  the  correct  time?  That's 
easy.  The  Certificate  has  already  been  paid  and  it  matured 
in  just  64  weeks  from  January  31st,  1903.  Similar  discrepen- 
cies  will  appear  by  the  same  methods  being  followed  in  refer- 
ence to  every  Certificate  we  have  matured  since  the  business 
began  and  every  one  we  will  mature  in  the  future.  Where 
does  the  error  lie  f  In  the  ignorance  of  the  details  causing  false 
premise  for  the  basis  of  the  first  calculation. 

In  calculating  the  probable  time  of  maturity  of  Certificates 
written  "now"  we  must  not  only  take  into  consideration  the 
number  of  the  last  one  written,  the  last  one  paid  and  the 
present  average  maturity,  but  we  must  consider  the  effect  of 
the  "lulls"  (See  "Why  Time  of  Maturity  Fluctuates, "page  16) 
that  have  occurred  during  the  period  covered  by  the  age  of 
the  present  oldest  outstanding  Certificate;  the  number  of  the 
"lapses"  that  have  occurred,  because  they  have  the  same 
effect  as  "lulls;"  the  location  of  these  lapses;  the  probable 
average  weekly  maturities  for  the  entire  period  covered  by 
the  calculation,  and  a  few  minor  details.  (See  article  on  "The 
Details  of  the  Business,"  on  page  23,  also  letter  to  Milwaukee 
agent,  page  38). 

If  you  really  must  figure,  start  right  and  figure  right. 

A  few  evenings  ago  I  was  giving  some  young  men  some  easy 
problems  that  required  a  little  Cause  to  Effect  reasoning  for 
their  solution.  One  of  the  problems,  while  requiring  two  or 
three  logical  steps  in  its  elucidation,  was,  nevertheless,  very 
simple.  That  is,  it  was  all  so  plain  when  the  correct  answer 
was  known.  (  In  giving  that  problem  on  different  occasions 
to  business,  professional  men  and  even  college  graduates.  I 
have  received  "answers"  ranging  from  1  to  2700!)     One  of 

20 


the  young  men  took  a  pencil  and  piece  of  paper  and  " figured* * 
for  about  ten  minutes  on  the  problem  and  at  the  end  of  that 
time  was  as  far  off  as  ever.  I  finally  gave  them  the  answer. 
The  one  who  had  "figured''  so  earnestly,  stopped  short,  and, 
after  a  moment's  hesitation,  said:  "Sure!  Of  course!  Well,  J 
declare!  Hereafter  I  am  going  to  think  before  I  begin  to 
figure!!" 

He  is  a  bright,  intelligent  young  man,— away  above  the 
average— unconsciously  he  uttered  the  golden  rule  of  mathe- 
matics—Think before  you  figure! 

(Don't  forget  to  look  at  "The  Details  of  the  Business,"  on 
page  23,  also  letter  to  Milwaukee  agent,  page  38). 

Lapsation 

This  is  a  subject  on  which  the  average  man  is  profoundly 
ignorant.  His  idea  of  it  is  extremely  hazy  at  best.  He  is  usually 
of  the  opinion  that  lapsation  is  necessary  to  return  the 
"profits."  It  is  of  little  use  to  talk  to  men  who  do  not  think 
or  men  who  can  not  reason.  If  you  will  answer  the  following 
questions  for  yourself  and  answer  them  intelligently,  using  a 
small  amount  of  analytical  reason,  you  will  then  understand 
that  we  do  not  desire  lapsation ;  you  will  realize  that  lapsation 
is  an  evil  instead  of  a  benefit  and  that  those  Companies  who 
tell  the  public  that  they  wish  lapsation  are  doing  so  with  in- 
tent to  deceive,  or  else  they  are  ignorant  of  the  true  principles 
on  which  their  business  is  founded.  In  either  case  the  man- 
agement is  unworthy.  We  have  a  business  in  which  the  truth, 
the  whole  truth  and  nothing  but  the  truth  need  be  told.  When- 
ever we  find  an  agent  who  is  misrepresenting  the  business  in 
any  manner,  we  either  put  him  on  the  right  track  or  else  dis- 
charge him  at  once. 

Here  are  the  questions  mentioned  above : 

Why  should  we  desire  lapsation? 

Does  a  man  who  is  in  the  business  of  raising  horses  desire 
his  young  colts  to  die?  Does  a  man  in  the  grocery  business 
desire  any  of  his  customers  to  "lapse"?  Is  there  a  Life  In- 
surance Company  in  existence  that  desires  lapsation? 

If  every  member  of  the  New  York  Life  Insurance  Company 
lapsed  this  year  they  would  have  at  least  twice  as  much  paid 
up  insurance  on  their  books  as  there  is  money  in  the  reserve 
fund.  Their  patrons  would  immediately  cease  paying  in  any 
premiums ;  their  offices  all  over  the  world  would  be  closed,  and 

21 


their  agents  would  immediately  be  thrown  out  of  employment, 
and  the  business  would  come  to  a  standstill.  Supposing  but 
half  of  their  members  lapsed,  would  that  not  be  just  half  as 
bad  as  though  they  all  lapsed  ?  The  same  would  apply  to  one- 
fourth  or  one-tenth  of  the  membership,  or  even  one  single  in- 
dividual. 

The  management  of  the  New  York  Life  Insurance  Company 
knows  that  it  is  bad  for  them  and  bad  for  their  patrons  to  have 
lapses. 

With  our  institution,  we  now  have  about  2,000  lapses  be- 
tween the  last  number  written  and  the  last  number  paid.  These 
lapses  are  scattered  all  the  way  through.  There  have  been  many 
instances  where  patrons  have  paid  30  or  40  weeks  and  have 
voluntarily  lapsed  their  Certificates  because  of  some  wantonly 
ignorant  newspaper  attacks,  or  because  they  " heard"  that 
the  "Government"  was  going  to  "put  us  out  of  business." 
If  the  "Government"  could  have  put  us  out  of  business  it 
would  have  been  done  long  ago. 

We  do  not  court  opposition,  but  at  the  same  time,  we  have 
a  supreme  contempt  for  the  puerile  weakness  of  our  present 
opponents. 

The  patrons  who  so  lapsed  were  undoubtedly  feeble-minded, 
or  else  they  were  disgustingly  lacking  in  courage.  Perhaps 
the  mildest  way  to  put  it  would  be  that  they  were  not  strong 
characters. 

Do  you  think  I  am  too  severe?  Let  us  dispassionately 
analyze  their  condition.  That  they  entered  into  the  plan  is 
self-evident,  because  they  made  application  for  and  received 
their  Certificates,  else  they  could  not  have  lapsed  them.  This 
demonstrates  clearly  that  they  must  have  thought  well  of  it 
when  they  started  in.  After  having  once  started,  to  lapse  is 
to  admit  a  weakness  of  mind,  either  at  the  time  of  starting  or 
at  the  moment  of  lapsing.  It  demonstrates  clearly  a  lack  of 
stability  if  not  feebleness. 

This  does  not  apply  to  those  patrons  who  met  with  finan- 
cial reverses  and  were  obliged  to  relinquish  their  holdings. 
There  were  but  very  few  of  these. 

A  lapsation  is  an  acknowledged  weakness  either  in  mind  or 
in  pocketbook.  A  timid  person  admits  weakness.  A  coward 
is  weak.  Cowards  are  never  praised  in  the  army,  and  we  can 
only  pity  them  for  their  weakness.  People  who  have  not  the 
courage  to  stand  fearlessly  for -the  right  as  they  see  it,  do  not 
make  strong  patrons. 


Those  patrons  who  joined  in  this  plan,  carried  their  Cer- 
tificates through  to  maturity  and  accepted  the  benefits  be- 
stowed on  them  by  their  fellow  patrons  and  then  refused  to  re- 
ciprocate to  the  best  of  their  ability,  are  deserving  of  the 
severest  reproof.  What  is  the  make-up  of  a  character  wherein 
gratitude  for  favors  extended  is  an  unknown  quantity?  Do 
such  selfish  cravens  deserve  the  benefits  received?  However, 
we  know  there  are  such  people  and  that  they  are  to  be  found  in 
all  classes  of  society,  in  all  kinds  of  business  and  in  all  organi- 
zations which  bind  men  together  for  a  common  purpose.  We 
usually  find  them  out  early,  because  it  takes  but  a  few  weeks 
for  our  Certificates  to  mature.  Good  riddance  to  bad  rubbish ! 
If  the  coat  fits,  put  it  on. 

If  these  2,000  Certificates  had  not  lapsed  we  would  have  had 
that  much  more  money  with  which  to  mature  Certificates  and 
the  increased  paying  power  would  have  actually  shortened  the 
time  of  maturity  to  the  benefit  of  all  concerned. 

Why  is  lapsation  desirable?    Answer  it!     (See  page  2). 

The  Details  of  the  Business 

It  is  not  necessary  for  you  to  know  the  details  of  telephone 
construction  in  order  to  use  the  instrument.  It  will  work  just 
as  well  whether  you  "understand"  all  about  it  or  not.  You 
do  not  need  to  "know  all  about"  a  locomotive  to  ride  on  the 
cars.  There  are  electricians  and  engineers  who  attend  to  the 
details.  It  is  not  essential  for  you  to  know  all  about  the  in- 
tricate details  of  the  life  insurance  system  before  you  take  out 
a  policy.  There  are  actuaries  and  managers  who  attend  to 
those  things.  It  would  take  a  long  time  for  you  to  "under- 
stand all  about  it"  even  after  the  preparatory  mathematical 
instruction  necessary. 

We  give  you  in  this  pamphlet  an  idea  of  the  principles  un- 
derlying our  system,  which  is  all  you  have  of  the  above  men- 
tioned conceptions  of  human  intelligence.  We  are  willing  to 
explain  the  details  at  any  and  all  times,  and  try  to  answer  the 
most  trivial  and  unconsequentiai  questions  in  a  courteous  and 
kindly  manner,  as  there  is  nothing  to  hide— nothing  to  cover 
up.  The  time  will  soon  come,  however,  when  our  ability  to 
look  after  the  details  in  an  intelligent,  careful  and  trust- 
worthy manner  and  thus  remove  that  unnecessary  weight  from 
our  patrons  will  be  more  generally  recognized.    We  know  this 

23 


machine  thoroughly  and  have  proven  conclusively  that  we  are 
fully  competent  to  run  it.  We  have  automatic  safety  devices 
at  every  crossing  and  there  are  no  trains  ahead  of  us,  either 
coming  or  going,  and  there  is  no  danger  of  rear-end  collisions ! 
There  are  a  few  easy  grades,  but  they  give  us  a  "down-hill" 
pull  when  the  summit  is  reached.  Just  buy  your  ticket  and  get 
a  berth  and  rest  quietly.  We'll  call  you  when  your  station  is 
reached.  We  are  wide  awake  and  vigilant.  You  have  confi- 
dence in  the  electrician,  the  locomotive  engineer,  the  life  in- 
surance management,— why  should  you  distrust  us?  Have  we 
done  aught  to  cause  it? 

Remember  that  our  patrons'  interests  are  our  interests  and 
their  success  is  our  success.  It  gives  us  greater  pleasure  to  de- 
liver the  maturity  checks  than  to  take  new  applications.  Were 
you  in  our  position  you  could  perhaps  better  appreciate  the 
truth  of  that  statement. 

Our  System  Automatic 

We  have  analyzed  carefully  every  phase  of  the  science 
of  Money  and  Commercialism  during  our  years  of  study  and 
experience  and,  as  a  result,  have  evolved  an  automatic  financial 
system  which  is  self-adjusting  in  every  respect.  While  the 
plan  at  present  returns  "2  for  1"  in  a  short  time,  still  it  must 
be  understood  that  it  does  that  only  because  the  results  of 
the  System  warrant  it.  Automatically  the  System  will  always 
adjust  itself  to  the  proper  ratio  of  more  than  "2  for  1"  or  less 
than  "2  for  1,"  as  conditions  warrant. 

The  deepest  students  of  this  wonderful  System  are  be- 
ginning to  realize  that  Mr.  Fitzsimmons  is  correct  in  his  claim 
that  he  has  solved  the  great  problem  of  "Wealth"  adjustment, 
the  problem  of  Poverty,  which  has  heretofore  baffled  the 
world's  greatest  economists,  and,  what  is  more,  he  is  putting 
his  ideas  into  practical  operation  and  proving  his  contention. 

He  contends  that,  before  men  will  join  a  plan  of  universal 
adjustment,  there  must  be  a  common  magnet  or  incentive. 
There  must  be  something  that  is  universally  desired.  He 
uses  that  something— money— as  the  magnet.  (See  general 
letter  to  agents,  page  32.  Don't  forget.)  The  key  to  the 
solution  of  the  problem  is  contained  in  the  following  sentence : 
We  unite  men  in  a  practical  application  of  the  Golden  Rule, 
under  Nature's  great  law  of  Evolution  (Growth  and  Change) 

24 


and  make  "money"  the  servant  of  men  instead  of  the  Master. 
This  must  appeal  to  you  as  a  triumph  on  the  part  of  man 
in  his  struggle  towards  amelioration.  Which  plan  do  you 
prefer,  the  old  or  the  new  ?  Will  the  old  plan  solve  your  prob- 
lem? Can  the  new  be  any  worse?  What  do  you  honestly 
think  about  it? 

What  is  Necessary  to  Continue  These 
Marvelous  Benefits? 

Just  natural  growth.  That's  all!  (see  extract  of  letter  to 
our  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  agent,  page  38).  You  will  like  to  get 
these  benefits  if  you  were  only  sure,  now  wouldn't  you?  Afraid 
we  won't  grow,  Eh?  Maybe  you  were  one  of  those  who  thought 
the  same  thing  two  years  ago,  or,  perhaps  only  a  year  ago.  We 
did  grow,  didn't  we?  We  are  growing,  are  we  not?  Can  you 
give  one  intelligent  reason  why  we  should  not  grow  ?  Be  honest 
now,  and  try  it.  For  every  intelligent  reason  of  that  nature 
you  can  give  we  will  give  you  two  intelligent  reasons  in  opposi- 
tion, or  forfeit  $100,  to  you  in  lieu,  thereof.  Remember  this  is 
a  kind  of  ' '  2  for  1 ' '  proposition,  and  we  have  the  goods !  If  you 
can't  give  an  intelligent  reason  as  to  why  we  should  not  grow^ 
then  why  are  you  afraid  when  you  know  we  have  grown  in  the 
face  of  powerful  newspaper  opposition,  ignorant  political  in- 
terference and  practically  universal  "popular"  prejudice, 
which  are  the  greatest  obstacles  that  could  confront  us.  We 
like  obstacles,  they  give  zest  to  the  game.  Come  and  join  in 
the  fun,  realizing  that  you  will  thus  add  strength  to  the  worthi- 
est and  strongest  institution  in  the  world.  We  have  been  in 
many  "fights"  and  have  always  won— it's  fun,  I  tell  you.  We 
know  what  we  are  doing  and  the  other  fellow  don't.  We  have 
the  same  advantage  over  him  that  a  National  League  baseball 
nine  would  have  over  a  High  School  nine.  We  know  how!  If 
you  have  any  good  American  blood  in  you,  or  even  if  you 
breathe  good  American  air,  you  should  have  nobility  and  sta- 
bility enough  to  stand  fearlessly  for  the  right. 

Better  join  us  and  reap  the  benefits.  To  the  victor  belongs 
the  reward.  Those  who  oppose  this  work  transgress  Truth, 
and  the  "way  of  the  transgressor"  is  not  strewn  with  roses, 
you  know.  What  have  our  opponents  gained?  Nothing,  ab- 
solutely nothing !  What  have  we  gained  ?  Everything  we  could 
wish  for!    Better  join  us? 

25 


Other  Companies 

That  which,  is  successful  is  always  imitated  and  because 
of  this  we  have  the  maxim,  "Imitation  is  the  sincerest  flat- 
tery." You  also  often  see  the  warning,  "Beware  of  Imita- 
tions/' and  in  no  other  business  in  the  world  is  this  warning 
so  important  as  in  this.  "Many  are  called  but  few  are  chosen" 
as  successful  managers  of  an  institution  of  this  kind  and  much 
depends  upon  the  management.  Even  our  opponents,  as  a 
rule,  admit  that  we  are  honest  and  have  extraordinary  ability 
in  this  work.  In  fact,  we  are  the  originators  of  this  plan  and 
know  every  one  of  the  intricate  details  of  this  wonderful 
machine.  (Our  Certificate  and  literature  are  copyrighted.) 
We  know  each  bearing  and  know  where  to  look  for  friction;  if 
any  part  shows  evidence  of  weakness,  we  know  how  to 
strengthen  it  at  once;  we  know  how  to  make  improvements 
as  they  are  needed  from  time  to  time.  We  are  here  to  protect 
our  patrons  at  any  and  all  hazards  and  we  have  demonstrated 
our  ability  to  do  it. 

Those  who  join  us  in  this  work,  either  as  patrons  or  as 
agents  can  "make"  all  the  "money"  they  will  ever  need 
providing  they  are  honest  and  perform  their  just  duty  to 
the  institution.  The  field  is  unlimited.  The  work  is  based  on 
pure  co-operation,  therefore,  there  should  be  no  incentive  for 
the  scattering  of  forces,  no  motive  for  competition,  which  is 
the  polar  opposite  of  co-operation.  This  but  weakens  all.  You 
can  see  that,  can't  you?  We  will  write  a  pamphlet  soon, 
setting  forth  the  details  of  that  great  error  in  a  logical,  philo- 
sophical and  convincing  manner.  In  the  meantime,  remember 
the  fable  of  "The  Bundle  of  Sticks,"  "A  House  Divided 
Against  Itself,"  etc.,  "United  we  Stand,"  and  similar  ways 
of  expressing  this  Truth,  and  cast  your  lot  with  "The  Old 
Reliable."  

I  wonder  if  those  patrons  who  have  already  received  bene- 
fits realize  that  we  have  practically  paid  them  $2.00  for  $1.00 
for  the  privilege  of  working  for  them.  Would  you  like  to  have 
us  work  for  you? 

After  all,  there  is  much  depending  on  the  management.  Do 
you  think  we  are  capable  of  continuing  to  do  what  we  have 
already  accomplished  with  ease  ?  Drop  in  a  dollar  or  more  per 
week  and  we  will  do  the  rest.  Let  your  dollars  work  while 
you  sleep. 

26 


Valuable  Information  is  Contained  in 
These  Letters 

Portion  of  interesting  letter  written  by  Mr.  Fitzsimnions 
in  reply  to  a  general  agent  of  the  American  Express  Company. 
Mr.  F.  was  at  one  time  an  agent  for  this  company 
and  is  well  acquainted  with  the  details  of  the  business  and  also 
with  the  gentleman  to  whom  the  letter  is  addressed.  The  reply 
will  give  an  idea  of  the  letter  Mr.  F.  received. 

Of  course,  I  recognize  the  fact  that  you  know  nothing 
whatever  about  this  business,  probably  no  more  than  you  do 
about  life  insurance,  and  particularly  about  the  stigma  that 
is  cast  upon  us  and  our  work  by  other  institutions  who  have 
nothing  to  do  with  us  and  are  not  operating  under  our  plan. 
Your  business  is  the  express  business  and  you  can  tell  me 
many,  many  things  about  it  that  I  do  not  know.  I  was  in  the 
business  long  enough,  however,  to  find  out  that  the  two  essen- 
tial things  for  the  prosperity  and  perpetuity  of  the  express 
business  are  patrons  and  new  business.  This  feature  of  the 
express  business-  is  the  basis  on  which  every  other  business  in 
the  world  is  founded.  In  our  business  we  have  used  this  same 
foundation  because  it  is  absolutely  requisite  to  any  business, 
just  as  the  earth  is  necessary  to  buildings.  Of  course,  people, 
as  a  rule,  wish  to  deny  us  the  same  privilege  in  this  respect 
that  every  other  business  enjoys.  They  insist  on  our  eliminat- 
ing the  patrons  and  new  business  from  our  work  and  then  ask 
us  to  figure  out  for  them  "how  it  would  come  out."  One  man 
asked  me  the  other  day  what  we  would  do  if  we  stopped.  I 
answered  him  with  one  word,  "quit."  You  remember,  per- 
haps, the  story  of  the  boy  who  put  the  calf's  tail  through  a 
knot-hole  in  a  tight  board  fence,  and  the  Irishman  who  passed 
along  on  the  outside  and  saw  the  tail  sticking  through  won- 
dered and  wondered  how  the  calf  got  through  the  hole.  There 
are  a  whole  lot  of  people  who  view  this  business  from  the  wrong 
side  of  the  fence.  They  don't  wish  to  weigh  the  business  from 
a  logical  and  sensible  standpoint,  but  wish  rather  to  eliminate 
all  the  essential  features  and  then  figure  out  "how  can  we  con- 
tinue doing  it  supposing  we  stop."  I  hardly  believe  that  the 
American  Express  Company  would  continue  to  be  a  very  large 
business  institution  if  the  people  were  suddenly  to  stop  ship- 
ping goods  with  them.  It  is  the  patrons  of  the  Am.  Ex.  Co. 
who  pay  you  your  salary,  my  dear  sir.  The  Am.  Ex.  Co.  and 
the  men  at  the  head  of  it  never  got  a  dollar  that  did  not  come 
from  some  one  else.  Your  duty  as  General  Agent  is  to  keep 
the  patrons  you  have  and  get  as  many  more  as  possible,  and 

27 


it  is  your  ability  to  do  this  that  caused  your  promotion,  the 
matter  of  taking  care  of  the  dollar  is  secondary;  the  patron  is 
necessarily  first  because  he  brings  the  dollar. 

In  your  letter  you  have  quoted  two  extremes,  the  Miller 
Syndicate  (520  per  cent  per  year)  being  at  the  one  pole  and  the 
Savings  Bank  (4  per  cent  per  year)  at  the  other.  The  Am.  Ex. 
Co.,  as  to  the  matter  of  "profits,"  lies  between  these  two  poles, 
does  it  not?  Now,  is  the  Am.  Ex.  Co.'s  plan  of  "making 
money"  just  the  exact  equilibrium  or  center  between  these 
two  concerns  and  are  all  institutions  that  pay  greater  "profits" 
than  the  Am.  Ex.  Co.  illegitimate  or  "off  color"?  If  not,  then 
where  is  the  dividing  line?  By  the  way,  is  not  "earning 
capacity"  the  capacity  of  getting  more  money  from  patrons 
than  is  paid  out,  so  that  ' '  profit ' '  remains.  What  is  ' '  value  re- 
ceived"—the  article  with  the  "profit"  added,  or  the  article 
without  any  "profit"  attachment?  The  only  way  any  busi- 
ness institution  can  "make  money"  is  to  take  in  more  than 
they  pay  out.  If  they  give  less  than  they  receive,  do  they  give 
"value  received"?  Maybe  the  term  "value  received"  is  elas- 
tic and  can  be  made  to  fit  all  conditions.  For  instance,  a  job- 
ber buys  a  pair  of  shoes  from  a  manufacturer  for  $2.00  and  gets 
only  "value  received,"  a  merchant  buys  the  same  pair  of  shoes 
from  the  jobber  for  $2.50  and  gets  "value  received"  (less  50c?)  • 
the  consumer  pays  the  merchant  $4.00  for  the  same  shoes  and 
still  it  is  "value  received"!  What  is  "value"?  Were  those 
shoes  twice  as  "valuable"  when  the  consumer  got  them  as  they 
were  when  the  jobber  had  them,  or  did  the  consumer  make  a 
few  "presents"  to  the  other  fellow? 

Here  I  am  running  on  about  business  which  I  did  not  in- 
tend to  do  when  I  started  this  letter.  I  desire  to  ask  you  though 
to  kindly  name  three  or  four  "perfectly  safe  and  secure" 
places  to  "invest"  money  in  case  I  ever  get  any.  I  am  a  little 
"queer"  (cracked,  perhaps)  on  this  subject  and  I  do  not  know 
of  any  "absolutely  safe"  investment,  one  where  I  can  have 
positive  assurance  against  possible  loss  and  still  be  certain  of 
an  income  from  it. 

I  am  sending  you  some  of  our  literature  and  on  the  back  of 
the  yellow  pamphlet  you  will  find  a  challenge  that  we  issue 
wherein  we  maintain  that  our  business  is  the  most  stable,  the 
most  equitable  and  the  most  beneficial  (you  will  note  that  it 
is  the  superlative  degree)  of  any  business  in  the  world  and  that 
we  will  present  $1,000  to  the  individual  who  can  prove  that 
our  contention  is  erroneous.  This  is  an  open  challenge  and 
we  are  perfectly  willing  to  pay  that  amount  for  an  improve- 
ment on  this  plan.  If  there  is  any  other  business  more  stable 
than  this  then  we  should  be  able  to  modify  and  model  our  plan 
after  the  more  stable  one  and  thereby  strengthen  our  institu- 
tion. 

This  challenge  has  been  standing  for  a  year  but  none  of  our 
critics  or  antagonists  seem  to  want  the  money.    Kindly  tell  us 

28 


what  is  wrong  with  our  System.  If  there  is  anything  wrong 
with  it,  both  management  and  patrons  desire  to  know  it  at 
once  so  that  we  can  remedy  the  fault,  and  we  are  willing  to  pay 
for  the  information.  In  the  old  reader  at  school  I  remember 
this:  "Our  true  friends  are  those  who  tell  us  our  faults  and 
help  us  to  mend  them."  Are  you  a  true  friend? 
Yours  very  truly, 
(Signed)  ORLANDO  K.  FITZSIMMONS. 

The  Road  to  Successville 

An  honest  newspaper  man  who  read  a  copy  of  the  follow- 
ing letter  said,  ''Do  me  the  favor  to  place  me  on  your  agent's 
mailing  list.    These  letters  are  an  education  in  themselves." 

Read  it  and    judge  for  yourself. 

Agents:— 

Now,  I  want  to  show  you  the  secret  road  to  success  in  this 
work,  or  any  other  for  that  matter.  It  is  a  beautiful  road  if 
your  eye  is  clear,  your  mind  healthy,  your  spirit  bouyant,  your 
heart  light  and  your  step  elastic.  If  you  stray  from  the  path, 
you  must  expect  to  encounter  briars  and  tangles  occasionally 
and  if  you  get  lost  you  will  undoubtedly  wander  in  a  circle. 

In  traveling  a  road  you  can  see  only  so  far  ahead  and  be- 
hind you.  The  only  reason  for  looking  back  is  to  view  the 
ground  recently  traveled.  If  we  are  bent  on  a  destination  we 
usually  keep  our  eyes  a  little  before  us  to  avoid  stumbling. 
We  do  not  see  nor  can  we  even  comprehend  the  road  in  its 
entirety  from  beginning  to  end.  We  see  only  that  portion  of 
our  surroudings  in  our  immediate  locality  whose  conditions 
are  constantly  changing  as  we  move  onward.  The  only  way 
that  we  can  progress  along  the  road  is  to  make  present  efforts 
and  move  now  from  the  point  where  we  are  located. 

I  want  you  to  catch  my  idea  clearly.  You  cannot  move 
with  an  effort  that  you  put  forth  five  minutes  ago,  your  ef- 
fectual effort  must  always  be  now — the  present  moment.  The 
efforts  you  are  going  to  put  forward  in  ten  minutes  from  now 
will  not  move  you  at  the  present  time.  If  you  wish  to  start  from 
where  you  are  and  take  the  road  to  Successville  you  must  put 
forth  a  present  effort  and  continue  to  put  forth  present  efforts, 
else  you  will  not  gain  your  destination.  Give  your  attention  to 
the  present  moment,  today.  You  have  so  far  to  go  today,  why 
not  move?  Don't  waste  your  time  thinking  how  far  you  can 
go  tomorrow,  but  apply  your  energy  to  today's  work  and  ac- 
complish all  you  can  right  now.  Tomorrow  is  a  mirage— if  you 
pursue  it,  night  will  find  you  suffering  amidst  a  parched  and 
arid  desert. 

Just  sit  down  quietly  and  easily  and  think  for  a  few  min- 
utes, and  see  if  you  cannot  grasp  my  exact  meaning.  I  say 
these  things  to  you  in  a  kindly  spirit. 

29 


In  your  work  for  us  I  wish  most  of  all  for  you  to  realize 
that  you  are  a  teacher  of  a  great  and  glorious  truth  when  you 
are  presenting  this  plan  of  mutual  benefit  to  the  people.  I 
would  like  to  have  you  study  the  principles  underlying  it 
thoroughly,  and  if  you  can  detect  any  flaw  in  the  system  I 
want  you  to  point  it  out  to  me,  because  flaws,  when  known,  can 
be  remedied.  Do  all  you  can  to  get  each  one  of  your  patrons 
enthusiastic  and  working,  themselves,  for  this  grand  and  glor- 
ious cause.  Think  of  the  business,  of  the  principles  underlying 
it,  of  the  vast  benefits  that  will  accrue  to  mankind  through 
this  system  and,  realizing  the  beautiful  strength  of  it  all, 
impart  your  knowledge  to  others  continually.  Show  them  that 
there  are  no  secrets  in  this  work;  that  absolutely  no  harm  but 
only  good  can  accrue  to  mankind  through  it;  that  it  is  a 
personification  in  business  of  Truth,  Union  and  Equity.  For- 
get that  there  are  any  such  things  as  obstacles,  or,  take  cog- 
nizance of  them  only  because  of  the  exhilaration  found  in 
surmounting  them.  Look  around  you  in  all  fields  of  sport  and 
you  will  find  that  the  true  zest,  the  only  spirit  that  makes 
effort  worth  while,  is  that  of  overcoming  opposition.  A  hunter 
finds  no  pleasure  in  hunting  tame  ducks  in  a  barn-yard. 

What  if  we  had  no  obstacles  to  encounter  in  this  business 
and  everybody  realized  its  stability  and  worth.  We  would 
then  need  no  agents  for  educational  work  and  it  would  all 
be  resolved  into  merely  the  mechanical  work  of  taking  in 
money  and  paying  it  out.  It  would  be  as  delightful  as  would 
be  the  process  of  eating  without  the  sense  of  taste! 

Therefore,  enter  into  this  work  in  the  right  spirit,  keep 
your  mind  healthy  and  active  and  go  after  obstacles  in  an 
intelligent  and  vivacious  manner,  thoroughly  enjoying  the 
game.  If  any  should  rebuff  or  rebuke  you  when  you  are 
endeavoring  to  do  them  good  by  giving  them  information  that 
will  bring  them  great  benefits  if  they  were  only  wise  enough 
to  profit  by  it,  just  observe  the  weak  points  in  their  game  and 
make  a  counter  move  that  will  place  you  at  an  advantage  and 
them  at  your  mercy.  Learn  how  to  ask  the  other  fellow 
pointed  questions  that  will  expose  his  ignorance  of  our  busi- 
ness, and  make  the  exposure  so  plain  that  he,  himself,  will 
recognize  it.  It  is  a  game  you  can  win  easily  if  you  really  try. 
Sincerely  yours, 

ORLANDO  K.  FITZSIMMONS. 


"I  don't  understand  it"  does  not  necessarily  signify  that 
others  are  likewise  deficient.  Some  are  "dull"  and  some  are 
"apt."  If  all  were  alike  mentally,  there  would  be  no  words 
coined  to  distinguish  the  different  grades.  Words  are  merely 
symbols  for  thought  expression.  See  the  point  ?  Which  grade 
are  you  in? 

30 


The  following  letter  was  written  by  Dr.  J.  Schmitz  in  re- 
sponse to  a  letter  of  inquiry  regarding  our  business  and  man- 
agement. It's  well  worth  considering.  The  management  knew 
absolutely  nothing  of  it  until  it  was  written  and  mailed  to  Mr. 
Walker.  Mr.  Lewis,  equally  as  worthy  as  Mr.  Johnson,  is  the 
present  Secretary. 

Dr.  J.  Schmitz, 

Physician  and  Surgeon. 
3000  S.  Main  St. 

Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  Jan.  19th,  1904. 
Mr.  T.  B.  Walker, 

Seattle,  Wash. 

Dear  Sir— Yours  of  Jan.  14th  received  today.  As  a  patron 
of  the  Cumulative  Credit  Company,  I  take  pleasure  in  saying 
that  I  have  the  fullest  confidence  in  the  Company.  I  am  carry- 
ing now  140  certificates  and  will  continue  to  take  more  from 
time  to  time  as  I  feel  able.  I  did  not  become  a  patron  from 
hearsay,  but  through  my  own  judgment  and  reason.  I  have 
thoroughly  analyzed  and  investigated  it  and  to  the  fullest 
of  my  satisfaction.  Personally,  I  am  prepared  to  say  that 
the  institution  is  not  based  on  mere  wind  or  talk.  Its  founda- 
tion is  itself  a  higher  law  in  nature.  It  is  based  on  a  business 
principle  that  always  remains  the  same,  where  all  is  equality, 
where  the  survival  of  the  shrewdest,  or  in  other  words,  com- 
petition cannot  enter.  One  cannot  be  favored  at  the  expense 
of  another,  and  therefore,  it  must  forever  be  a  success  to  all 
its  patrons  alike. 

The  managers  are  all  honest,  capable  and  competent  people. 
The  President,  Mr.  Fitzsimmons,  is  a  person  of  a  rare  com- 
bination of  good  qualities,  particularly  fitted  for  the  business. 
He  is  a  deep  thinker,  a  philosopher  and  a  thorough  business 
man,  who  is,  to  my  knowledge,  familiar  and  at  home  with  all 
new  ideas  along  all  lines,  or  rather,  old  ideas  in  new  and  higher 
light  corresponding  to  our  present  age,  or  better,  rate  of  vibra- 
tions. The  Secretary,  Mr.  Johnson,  can  also  not  be  spoken  of 
too  highly.  He  is  strictly  honest,  understands  the  work  fully, 
and  is  well  versed  on  all  points  connected  therewith,  and  is  a 
good  manager.  So,  with  such  reliable  and  competent  men 
at  the  head  of  the  Company,  and  with  the  business  being  in 
itself  sound  and  substantial  in  nature,  success  will  always  be 
assured. 

This  is,  in  short,  my  view  of  it,  confirmed  by  my  investments 
in  it.  Yours  very  truly, 

J.  SCHMITZ. 

We  are  just  getting  ready  to  begin  to  start  to  commence  to 
grow !    Better  get  in  now. 

What  the  world  needs  is  more  men,  we  have  enough  sheep ! 

31 


Copy  of  recent  general  letter  from  Mr.  Fitzsimmons  to  his  agents. 
Is  it  any  wonder  they  are  enthusiastic? 

Dear  Sir:— I  wonder  if  you  think  you  realize  fully  what 
a  magnificent  institution  you  are  allied  with.  I  wonder  if  you 
have  ever  stopped  to  think  of  the  marvelous  results  if  we  had 
one  hundred  thousand  members  joined  together  in  the  monthly 
or  quarterly  income  plan.  When  we  reach  that  stage  in  our 
development  those  hundred  thousand  members  will  each  be 
carrying  an  average  of  about  five  Certificates  "  every  five 
weeks''— this  is  a  low  average.  If  the  time  of  maturity  be 
fifty  weeks  then  each  member  would  hold  on  an  average,  fifty 
Certificates,  which  would  mean  that  the  hundred  thousand 
members  would  be  paying  on  five  million  Certificates.  Just 
think  of  it!  $5,000,000  a  week!  Then  besides  the  hundred 
thousand  who  are  carrying  under  the  monthly  income  plan  we 
will  have  thousands  and  thousands  of  other  patrons  carrying 
them  in  other  ways.  Suppose  that  we  had  a  million  members 
interested  in  the  monthly  income  plan,— just  try  to  imagine  if 
you  can,  what  the  wonderful  results  would  be— and  still  a 
million  would  only  be  a  hundredth  part  of  a  hundred  millions 
and  the  world  is  our  field !  During  our  two  and  one-half  years' 
existence,  we  have  interested  about  2500  people  and  they  have 
wrought  marvels  under  the  System.  How  long  will  it  take 
to  secure  one  million  patrons?  Some  of  us  may  live  to  see 
that  glorious  time ! 

I  contend  that  this  institution  is  the  most  powerful  in- 
strument for  good  in  the  world.  I  contend  that  it  will 
eventually  bring  order  out  of  the  present  chaotic  condition  of 
affairs  which  exists  today  socially  and  financially;  that  it  will 
finally  do  away  with  our  prisons  by  removing  the  incentive 
for  crime.  Everybody  will  be  placed  beyond  the  want  of  a 
few  ll dollars"  under  this  powerful  method  of  just  and  rapid 
distribution.  Most  of  the  incentive  for  crime  and  injustice 
today  can  be  traced  directly  to  mere  dollars.  There  is  some- 
thing that  is  infinitely  above  and  beyond  mere  money  getting 
and  the  only  way  to  lift  people  up  to  that  higher  plane  is  to 
satiate  their  desire  for  the  lower.  Man  is  ever  impelled  towards 
his  desires. 

The  present  age  is  the  age  of  commercialism— the  age  of 
mere  money  getting,  so  that  it  can  be  used  to  get  more  money, 
so  that  we  can  continue  adding  to  and  heaping  up  that  which 
we  will  not  use.  A  man  can  eat  but  one  dinner  at  a  time 
though  he  have  money  enough  to  buy  a  million.  The  only 
way  to  satiate  a  man's  desire  for  anything  is  to  give  him  all 
he  wants  of  that  thing,  and  more  than  he  wants.  If  I  were  able 
to  give  you  a  magic  pocket-book  that  contained  a  $5.00  piece, 
and  that,  when  the  $5.00  was  taken  out  and  used,  would  cause 
another  $5.00  to  appear  in  it,  would  you  want  any  more  money  1 
If,  whenever  you  desired  any  money,  you  could  always  go  to 

32 


that  pocket-book  and  take  out  an  indefinite  number  of  $5.00 
pieces,  would  you  ask  for  anything  more  in  the  way  of  money? 
This  is  practically  what  we  offer  people  under  our  permanent 
income  plan.  The  only  difference  lies  in  the  fact  that  we  ask 
them  to  place  whatever  amount  they  choose  in  this  "  magic 
pocket-book* *  so  that  they  can  adjust  the  matter  to  suit  them- 
selves. 

For  an  illustration  let  us  suppose  that  the  average  time  of 
maturity  of  the  Certificates  should  be  fifty  weeks;  it  is  im- 
material whether  it  is  fifty  weeks  or  sixty  weeks  or  seventy 
weeks  or  eighty  weeks  or  ninety  weeks  or  forty  weeks  for 
that  matter— the  illustration  would  hold  good  just  so  you  set  a 
fixed  time,  so  we  will  say  fifty  weeks,  which  is  about  the 
average  that  the  management  will  endeavor  to  maintain.  Con- 
sider what  is  possible  under  this  plan  for  a  man  who  is  labor- 
ing by  the  day,  under  the  above  conditions.  Suppose  that 
a  laboring  man  can  save  $1.00  per  week  for  fifty  weeks,  and  is 
wise  enough  to  join  us  by  taking  one  Certificate.  He  would 
receive  $100  at  the  end  of  that  period  which  would  enable  him 
to  take  two  more  without  drawing  on  his  labor  any  more. 
In  another  fifty  weeks  he  would  have  $200.  If  he  then  takes 
four  and  so  on,  continuing  this  process  for  five  years,  he  would 
have  $1600.  This  is  sufficient  to  take  and  carry  five  "  every 
five  weeks' '  until  the  first  five  mature,  and  with  one-half  of  the 
$500  he  would  receive  at  that  time,  he  could  take  five  more, 
and  he  could  repeat  that  operation  indefinitely  at  a  profit  to 
himself  of  $250  " every  five  weeks"  or  $50  per  week  income! 
This  is  possible  for  a  laboring  man  to  accomplish  in  the  short 
space  of  six  years !  What  would  he  have  at  the  end  of  six  yean 
did  he  not  join  our  members  and  save  his  first  $50? 

What  if  10,000  laboring  men,— that  is  not  many— should 
join  us  during  the  next  year  and  carry  that  plan  through  for 
six  years,— can  you  catch  a  glimmering  of  the  vast  amount  of 
good  that  our  plan  would  accomplish  with  just  those  few  in 
this  saving  and  distributing  process? 

The  far  reaching  results  are  entirely  too  great  for  you  or 
me  to  comprehend.  To  take  a  hundred  thousand  or  a  million 
men  under  like  conditions  during,  not  next  year,  but  say  the 
next  twenty-five  years,  and  the  results  would  revolutionize  the 
existing  relations  between  labor  and  capital,  and  our  system 
would  finally  bring  about  a  proper  adjustment  of  that  great 
problem.    Can  you  not  perceive  it? 

Now  this  is  but  one  of  the  many  things  to  be  accomplished 
and  I  speak  to  you  thus  briefly  so  that  you  will  contemplate 
these  things.  Whenever  you  see  evil  caused  by  lack  or  lust  of 
money,  you  will  find  a  remedy  for  it  under  this  wonderful 
plan,  for  it  is  not  only  a  plan  for  laboring  men— it  is  for  all. 
Would  a  man  commit  murder  for  money  if  he  had  all  the  money 
he  wanted  ?    Would  he  rob  ?    Certainly  not ! 


We  say  to  people— is  it  "money"  you  want?  Is  that  your 
heart's  desire?  Come  and  get  it!  You  can  have  all  you  want 
if  you  will  be  patient  a  while  and  perform  your  part ! 

Realize,  if  you  can,  that  this  plan  is  here  to  perform  a  work 
for  the  benefit  of  humanity— is  here  to  bring  order  out  of  chaos 
—is  here  to  hasten  the  coming  Brotherhood  of  Man.  Man's 
greed  has  brought  on  the  existing  conditions  of  poverty  and 
want  and  crime  and  shame,— but  there  is  good  in  all  things, 
so  we  will  use  the  good  in  man's  greed  as  the  instrument  of  his 
salvation.  Thousands  will  join  in  the  work,  not  for  the  good 
they  can  do  others,  but  for  what  they  can  make  out  of  it 
themselves,  therefore  let  us  use  Greed  for  the  purpose  of 
uniting  them  together.  Then,  after  a  while,  they  will  realize 
that  they  can  only  be  benefitted  by  first  benefitting  others,  and 
that  the  greater  the  benefits  they  bestow  on  others  the  greater 
will  their  reward  be,  and  then  the  truth  will  dawn  upon  them 
that  there  is  enough  and  to  spare  in  old  mother  earth's  bosom 
for  all  and  ten  times  all,  and  that  if  each  works  for  all  and  all 
for  each,  there  can  then  be  no  more  poverty  or  crime  com- 
mitted for  wherewithal  to  eat,  to  clothe  or  to  enjoy.  When  all 
peoples  of  the  earth  are  finally  united  in  this  knowledge  and 
its  application,then  will  have  come  the  millennium  and  the 
Golden  Rule  will  be  the  only  law  necessary  on  the  statute 
books.  (Explanatory  note.— Our  present  laws  are  to  prevent 
men  from  taking  unjustly.  No  statutes  are  necessary  to  pre- 
vent giving.)  » 

Do  you  consider  this  merely  the  vision  of  a  dreamer?  Don't 
so  wrong  yourself,  your  fellowmen,  your  Creator!  Realize 
that  man  has  heretofore  labored  in  darkness.  He  has  longed 
for  these  things  but  heretofore  has  been  unable  to  find  the 
way.  The  plan  he  has  followed  for  centuries,  and  still  fol- 
lows, is  founded  on  error,  therefore  he  should  discard  it.  If 
he  still  persists  in  following  it,  then  he  will  continue  to  live 
amidst  the  strife  and  contention  which  it  breeds. 

Animated  by  insane  Greed,  the  blind  monster,  men  prey  on 
their  fellow  men,  swearing,  fighting,  trampling,  grabbing,  tear- 
ing frantically  at  each  other,  torturing  and  murdering  in  never 
ending  turmoil,  making  a  Bedlam  where  otherwise  should  be 
peace  and  sweet  tranquility.  It  is  but  insanity  of  a  violent 
type!  I  tell  you  it  must  and  shall  cease!  Reason  must  be 
enthroned.  The  children  of  men  must  be  taught  to  appreciate 
the  principle  underlying  the  fable  of  the  Bundle  of  Sticks— the 
true  principle  of  the  Golden  Rule— the  principle  that  links  in- 
separably the  happiness  and  welfare  of  the  individual  to  the 
happiness  and  welfare  of  all! 

Were  not  these  beautiful  things  in  store  for  man,  he  would 
never  have  coined  the  words  to  express  them  for  words  are  but 
the  symbols  of  ideas,  and  ideas  are  the  realities  of  intelligence. 

Don't  you  see?    Can't  you  see? 

34 


I  could  talk  to  you  at  great  length  on  these  lines,  for  my 
heart  is  full  of  it— it  has  been  my  life  study  and  it  is  my  hobby. 
What  I  want  you  to  realize  and  hold  close  to  your  heart  is,  that 
this  is  an  humanitarian  work  and  that  it  is  your  duty  to  do 
all  that  you  can  to  educate  and  point  out  the  way  to  those  who 
are  in  darkness.  Be  ceaseless  in  your  efforts  and  you  will  gain- 
strength  daily.  Work  for  the  work's  sake  and  the  dollars 
will  come  to  you— all  that  you  will  ever  have  any  use  for  while 
you  live.    You  will  leave  them  all  here  when  you  go. 

In  our  work  we  are  marching  on  to  a  goal  which  recedes  as 
we  advance.  There  is  no  end.  The  point  we  reach  today  be- 
comes our  starting  place  tomorrow.  Thus  each  day  sees  us 
one  step  farther  on  our  way— we  never  remain  stationary — 
we  can  never  attain  the  ultimate. 

I  look  for  good  results  from  you. 

Sincerely  yours, 
ORLANDO  K.  FITZSIMMONS, 

Die.  A.  B.  President. 

P.  S.  In  submitting  this  letter  to  one  of  our  agents  here 
for  criticism  and  suggestion  he  said  that  it  was  "over  his 
head"— that  it  went  too  far  for  him.  I  then  went  through 
it  with  him  and  explained  the  things  he  did  not  understand 
and  it  all  became  perfectly  plain  to  him.  I  therefor  suggest 
that  you  read  this  many  times  and  study  it  so  that  you  can 
grasp  my  meaning  in  full.  I  have  necessarily  been  obliged  to 
be  brief  in  this  matter. 


Read  this  unsolicited  letter  from  a  man  whose  intelligence 
is  self-evident.  He  is  a  sample  of  the  material  of  which  suc- 
cess is  made.  We  have  numerous  patrons  like  him  and  we 
will  have  thousands  of  them  in  the  course  of  time.  Intelligence 
is  contagious  and  infectious.  You'll  catch  it  if  you  mingle 
with  our  patrons  much! 

Detroit  Casket  Co., 

177-187  W.  Congress  St. 

Detroit,  Mich.,  Feb.  22,  1904. 
The  Cumulative  Credit  Co., 
Mr.  Fitzsimmons. 
Dear  Sir— I  received  your  last  literature    through    your 
agent,  Mr.  Streeter.     I  am  very  favorably  impressed  with  it. 
In  summing  up  all  you  have  written  and  distributed  to 
your  patrons  from  the  time  you  opened  this  business,  the  mass 
of  educational  matter  which  has  been  passed  around  from  one 
to  another,  one  would  hardly  think  it  necessary  to  "ask  more 
questions. ' ' 

I  have  one  question  which  I  want  to  ask  you  and  it  is  this : 
Has  Detriot  contributed  her  share  to  this  business  since  it  has 

35 


been  opened  up?  In  my  estimation  she  has  not.  I  am  simply- 
ashamed  of  the  little  she  has  done. 

With  such  a  policy  as  we  have  in  force  today  and  the 
"superb"  management  at  the  Home  Office  we  certainly  ought 
to  have  done  better.  Look  at  the  trifling  expense  account  as 
compared  with  some  other  companies  and  the  grand  total 
which  is  given  to  the  patrons,  the  quickness  of  the  maturity  of 
Certificates.  Why,  Mr.  Fitzsimmons,  we  ought  to  be  rushing 
business. 

Another  question  I  wish  to  ask  you,  is  it  necessary  to  go 
slow?  If  not,  then  how  can  we  reach  the  masses  in  this  city? 
There  are  probably  seventy-five  Certificates  being  carried  in  this 
factory  alone.  There  are  possibly  about  thirty  eligible  peo- 
ple, all  told.  We  have  done  well  right  here.  How  have  we  done 
it?  I  will  tell  you.  Simply  by  being  in  close  touch  with  each 
other. 

We  are  only  a  small  concern  in  this  building.  There  are 
scores  of  other  factories  and  workshops  double  our  capacity 
almost  in  the  immediate  neighborhood.  Yes,  sir,  we  have  the 
people  all  right.  Do  you  want  to  line  them  up?  About  fifty 
of  the  contracts  in  our  factory  are  carried  by  working  men 
and  working  women.  (Byrne  is  one  of  our  piece  workers.) 
Mr.  Blackford  is  the  Superintendent  and  your  humble  writer 
is  interested  in  the  firm  just  enough  to  make  it  interesting. 

Mr.  Fitzsimmons,  I  take  a  special  interest  in  this  (our 
Cumulative  Co-operation)  and  I  want  you  to  know  that  I  do. 
If  it  is  good  for  me  it  is  good  ultimately  for  all,  and  I  want  to 
see  it  progress  and  get  to  the  front.  You  are  all  right  at  the 
Coast  and  I  am  satisfied  that  for  every  stroke  made  here  you 
will  make  two  there. 

Oh  yes,  we  meet  with  some  opposition.  By  some  anything 
that  borders  on  the  Tontine  business  is  not  liked  any  more. 
Many  have  been  up  against  it  in  the  Devore  and  other  Com- 
panies and  they  are  not  very  anxious  to  get  into  a  good  thing. 
Well,  they  are  just  sore  and  bruised  and  need  a  rest;  they'll 
be  all  right  after  a  rest  and  a  rub-down.  They  will  be  on 
the  right  side  next  time. 

When  a  man  tells  me,  "It  can't  be  done,"  I  ask  him  why? 
Then  I  advise  him  to  read  what  I  have  given  him,  to  read  it 
thoughtfully  and  thoroughly,  but  I  want  to  say  to  you,  Mr. 
Fitzsimmons,  you  want  to  be  very  near  to  a  man  until  you 
get  him  interested  and  then  still  keep  near  to  him,  and  if  he 
can  afford  he  will. 

Some  of  the  boys  at  the  factory  say  to  me:  "Do  you  think 
it  will  take  eighty  weeks  to  mature  contracts  a  year  or  so 
from  now?"  I  rather  evade  a  straight  answer,  preferring  to 
tell  them  that  I  do  not  see  why  it  should  if  every  member  does 
his  duty. 

Have  been  a  member  of  the  Maccabees  for  about  thirteen 
years  and  only  pay  one  more  assessment  per  year  more  now 

36 


than  I  did  when  I  entered.  Does  the  Cumulative  work  for  new 
business  like  they  do?  Are  we  going  to  grow  so  as  to  keep 
the  time  limit  where  we  would  wish  it?  This  is  a  vital  ques- 
tion in  my  mind  to  our  company.  Write  me  at  your  leisure. 
With  best  wishes  and  kind  regards,  I  am,  yours  truly, 

WM.  HOLDSWORTH. 

Note.— Mr.  Byrne,  mentioned  in  this  letter,  received  a 
check  from  us  for  $3100  dated  February  27th,  1904,  upon  the 
maturity  of  25  Certificates  held  by  him.  He  began  his  pay- 
ments of  $25  per  week  on  December  27,  1902,  paid  in  $1550  in 
62  weeks  and  received  his  benefits.  We  paid  Mr.  Holdsworth 
a  check  for  $1890  on  April  16,  1904,  for  the  maturity  of  15 
Certificates  on  which  he  began  his  payments  February  2nd, 
1903.  He  paid  63  weeks  at  $15  per  week.  Mr.  Blackford  has 
also  been  paid  a  number  of  hundred  dollars.  They  would  not 
have  received  these  benefits  had  they  not  joined  in  the  work. 
Have  you  received  any  of  these  benefits  yet?  They  are  here 
for  you  if  you  want  them !    Why  not  ? 

Letter  to  Portland  Agent 

February  24,  1904. 
Dear  Sir:— Am  very  glad  to  have  you  with  us  in  the  good 
work  and  there  is  absolutely  no  question  as  to  ultimate  suc- 
cess. You  must  realize,  however,  that  in  joining  us  you  are 
joining  a  band  that  is  constantly  fighting  Ignorance  in  high 
places  and  low.  Let  me  tell  you  the  reason  for  this.  First,  our 
business  is  a  "bad"  business,  simply  because  it  is  "too  good," 
and  for  no  other  reason.  This,  of  course,  is  paradoxical,  but 
it  also  might  be  termed  the  truth.  Our  plan  is  automatic  in 
its  workings  and  we  never  return  more  to  the  patrons  than  the 
business  will  warrant,  and  so  far  it  has  warranted  from  150  per 
cent  to  250  per  cent  per  year  profit.  The  faster  we  grow  the 
greater  this  profit  will  be.  The  one  weak  spot  in  our  institu- 
tion is  the  possibility  of  growing  too  rapidly,  of  being  com- 
pelled to  pay  "3  or  4  for  1"  in  order  to  keep  the  time  of  ma- 
turity extended  to  a  year  or  so.  The  one  thing  that  keeps  us 
from  growing  so  rapidly  as  to  be  compelled  to  pay  "10  for  1" 
in  50  weeks  is  what  is  known  as  "popular  prejudice,"  there- 
fore, I  hope  you  realize  that  it  is  necessary  for  us  in  our  in- 
fancy to  have  this  safety-valve,  "popular  prejudice,"  to  keep 
us  from  becoming  top-heavy.  A  quick  growth  is  a  weak 
growth,  a  porous,  flabby  growth.  We  desire  a  growth  rather 
as  the  Oak  than  as  the  Mushroom,  therefore  do  not  be  dis- 
heartened at  "popular  prejudice"  and  at  the  ignorance  you 
encounter  in  your  work,  but  rather  realize  that  it  is  necessary 
for  the  best  interests  of  the  business  that  you  have  chosen  for 
your  work.  Simply  prepare  for  the  battle  and  you  will  realize 
that  one  ounce  of  Wisdom  will  overcome  a  thousand  tons  of 
Ignorance,  hence,  do  not  be  dismayed  at  the  apparently  for- 

37 


midable  ranks  of  the  enemy.  You  can  blow  down  whole 
platoons  of  him  with  a  breath.  He  is  weak,  you  are  mighty 
in  your  strength. 

I  am  very  glad  to  have  you  with  us  and  trust  that  you  are 
of  the  right  metal  to  enter  into  the  battle.  It  requires  sterling 
qualities  for  a  man  to  stand  up  under  "popular  prejudice." 
"Be  sure  you  are  right  and  then  go  ahead."  When  obstacles 
confront  you  either  cast  them  out  of  your  path  or  go  around 
them  or  climb  over  them.  Your  destination  lies  on  the  other 
side  of  obstacles.  Yours  very  truly, 

(Signed)  ORLANDO  K.  FITZSIMMONS. 

Letter  to  Milwaukee  Agent 

Your  statement  as  to  the  business  doubling  itself  is  ap- 
proximately correct  providing  it  is  necessary  to  continue  pay- 
ing exactly  "2  for  1."  However,  you  must  always  realize  that 
the  patrons  we  already  have  could  double  the  business  in  one 
week  at  the  present  time  if  each  patron  came  in  and  took  two 
more  new  Certificates.  You  see,  we  have  at  the  present  time 
about  2500  patrons  and  there  are  about  5,000  Certificates  in 
force.  Thus,  if  each  patron  took  two  new  ones  that  would 
make  5,000  additional,  or  a  total  in  force  of  10,000,  thereby 
doubling  the  business  in  a  week's  time.  Now,  these  same  pat- 
rons could  double  the  business  in  10  week's  time  or  20  weeks 
or  50  weeks,  by  doing  the  same  thing  during  the  period.  Thus, 
it  is  not  always  absolutely  necessary  to  find  new  people  for  the 
doubling  process.  This  is  a  matter  that  rests  with  the  intel- 
ligence and  good  judgment  of  the  patrons  we  already  have. 

Again,  we  must  take  into  consideration  the  fact  that  when 
patrons  receive  their  benefits  they  have  twice  as  much  money 
to  do  with  as  they  had  before  and  it  should  be  a  very  easy 
matter  for  them  to  then  double  their  holdings.  The  whole 
proposition,  however,  can  be  better  summed  up  in  the  state- 
ment that  new  growth,  such  as  all  nature  enjoys,  is  all  that 
is  necessary  to  return  most  wonderful  results  under  this  system. 

All  one  has  to  do  is  to  watch  the  growth  of  a  plant  or  tree 
to  appreciate  the  fact  that  there  is  a  constant  adding  to  in  the 
tearing  down  and  building  up  process.  The  acorn  contains  the 
principle  which  evolves  the  oak.  We  might  say  that  this 
principle  is  an  idea,  or  perhaps  still  better,  a  law  and  this  law 
operates  in  such  a  way  that  there  is  attracted  from  the  earth 
the  requisite  atoms  and  particles  that  we  call  nourishment, 
from  which  the  giant  tree  is  builded.  It  is  a  silent  and  per- 
sistent process  of  constantly  adding  to  and  this  process  is 
what  we  call  growth.  The  underlying  principle  of  this  pro- 
cess is  what  we  term  the  law  of  attraction.  If  it  were  not  for 
this  law  there  would  be  no  oak.  It  is  one  of  the  basic  laws  of 
nature.  That  business  is  most  stable  which  has  the  strongest 
attraction  for  the  people,  because  the  people  are  the  atoms 

38 


and  pai 


and  particles  of  which  every  business  is  composed;  the  money 
and  the  property  used  in  business  are  secondary  considera- 
tions entirely.  There  can  be  nothing  created  without  motion 
and  there  is  no  motion  inherent  in  money.  An  engine  without 
steam  (or  some  other  force)  and  the  controlling  intelligence 
back  of  steam  is  absolutely  worthless.  When  we  go  to  nature 
and  observe  the  laws  by  which  it  manifests  itself  and  then 
apply  the  law  of  correspondence  to  this  business  we  do  not 
need  any  figures  any  more  that  we  need  to  figure  on  the  num- 
ber of  particles  requisite  each  year,  and  the  new  increase  in 
those  particles,  which  is  essential  to  raise  the  oak  from  the 
acorn.  A  tree  of  ten  years'  growth  could  not  live  with  the 
first  year's  nourishment.  Roll  a  snowball  and  perceive  the 
nature  of  this  law-  Let  us,  therefore,  grow  naturally  under 
the  law  of  attraction. 

Did  you  ever  stop  to  think  that  the  law  of  attraction  is 
a  "  2  for  1 ' '  law  ?  The  law  of  gravity  and  the  law  of  attraction 
are  the  same  law.  "The  law  of  falling  bodies"  is  but  a 
manifestation  of  the  law  of  attraction  and  a  body  falling  from 
a  height  falls  16  feet  the  first  second,  32  feet  the  next,  64  feet 
the  next,  and  so  on.  Thus,  we  see,  when  a  period  of  time  is 
taken  into  consideration  the  law  of  attraction  will  always 
produce  a  "2  for  1"  result.  Why  that  is  will,  perhaps,  never 
be  answered  by  the  finite  mind.  It  is  simply  a  law,  unchange- 
able, inscrutable,  irrevocable.     It  all  seems  very  clear  to  me. 

I  do  not  believe  there  is  anything  you  lose  sight  of.  I 
think  your  understanding  of  the  business  is  most  thorough 
because  you  are  cognizant  of  the  basic  principles  underlying 
it.  There  are  so  few  people,  however,  who  have  the  ability  to 
think  clearly  and  reason  from  cause  to  effect  in  their  trying 
to  solve  the  problem  of  this  business,— they  fail  to  find  the 
answer  printed  in  the  book,  and  they  are  so  much  in  the  habit 
of  being  guided  by  the  opinions  of  others  that  they  have  no 
confidence  in  their  own.  Of  course,  they  are  weak  as  is  any- 
thing else  that  has  to  be  propped  up.  When  you  stop  to  con- 
sider the  following  proposition  carefully  I  believe  you  will 
agree  with  me :  Man  is  a  paradox.  He  is  the  weakest  and  yet 
the  strongest  of  God's  creations.         Yours  very  truly, 

(Signed)  ORLANDO  K.  FITZSIMMONS. 


SUMMARY 


Our  plan  is  pre-eminently  the  best  and  strongest  in  the  world  because  it 

esses  all  the  requisite  elements  of  stability. 

It  rests  solidly  on  Natural  (perfect)  laws — not  man's  imperfect  ones. 

It  appeals  to  man's  supreme  desires — freedom  from  want  and  independence 
in  the  pursuit  of  happiness. 

Its  welfare  and  success  is  the  fondest  desire  of  the  management,  whose 
sincerity  is  unquestioned  by  those  who  are  in  a  position  to  know. 

As  for  the  directing,  guiding  and  protecting  intelligence  at  its  head— an  all 
important  consideration — read  these  pages  and  ponder,  then  judge  for  yourself. 

What  is  your  verdict?    Can  you  find  anything  better? 

39 


HARKEN!   BEHOLD! 

Nature  is  the  school  of  mankind, 
the  symbolic  manifestation  of  Supreme 
Wisdom.  In  Nature  the  Supreme  Intelli- 
gence performs  its  wonders  unhampered 
by  the  perversity  of  man's  ignorance.  In 
Nature  we  find  a  constant  succession  of 
the  New  growing  out  of  the  disintegration 
decomposition  of  the  Old.  Nature  tears 
down  the  Old  and  builds  up  the  New.  The 
immutable  and  inscrutable  Law  says  the 
New  shall  prevail  and  the  Old  must  suc- 
cumb. Man  will  finally  learn  this  mighty 
lesson  and  cease  clinging  blindly  to  th^ 
Old.  He  will  learn  that  his  happiness  and 
welfare  depends  thereon. 

Nature  co-operates,  man  competes. 
Competition  sows  strife  and  contention 
and  man  reaps  a  haruest  of  poverty  and 
want,  crime  and  shame,  misery  and  dis- 
tress. Competition  is  man 's  Old  unnatural 
method,  Co-operation  is  the  New  and  Nat- 
ural. The  march  of  progress  is  invincible. 
Circumspect  I  [wtzsimmons] 


PRESS  OF 

Kingsley,  Moles  &  Collins  Company 
los  angeles,  cal. 


YC    5172 

U.C.BERKELEY  LIBRARIES 

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ca^omiai 

rb 


